The Story of Alex Danvers
by ashnaang
Summary: This is a story about Alex Danvers and her journey through the Supergirl TV series because she didn't get enough screen time. She deserves the recognition, because Kara's not the only bad*** in the family. And not all superheroes wear capes. As of now there is endgame Sanvers, but there is always a possibility of changing that. M for later chapters, K/T for now.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a story dedicated to the character Alex Danvers. As of now, my plans are to have endgame Sanvers but I am leaving it open to change. The most important relationship I've always loved is the sister bond between Alex and Kara. We'll see where Alex's life is taken in the series and I'll adjust as I see fit to dive deeper into Alex's character than they do in the show. I have taken actual conversations from the show. I do not own the show or any of this dialogue, I only wished to remain as true to the show as I could while putting it all in Alex's POV.

A/N: So, I realized I left out a huge chunk near the end so I filled that in and did a general re-read through the chapter and did a little updating. I really just wanted to post something before and didn't read through it as thoroughly as I should've. Apologies. Enjoy.

Chapter I

I look out the window. Down from my second story bedroom, I see my parents standing out in the yard. They told me a few minutes ago that someone would be coming and that I should stay up in my bedroom. Yesterday they went out and bought a second bed that they then assembled last night in my room. They told me that someone would be coming to live with us. A girl, a couple years younger than me, who had found herself without any parents. I thought to myself that it was pretty unfortunate for her but I also wondered why that should be of any concern to us. Of course, I had no say in the matter.

I've been an only child for the fourteen years of my life. I don't know how to have a sibling, to be a sister.

In the distance I see something flying toward us at a fast speed. A blur of red, blue and white descend into my backyard. After landing, I realize it was a man. I think he's called Superman. I've heard about the amazing things he's done over in Metropolis and I think he's been by once or twice before to talk with my parents.

He looked fairly young, much younger than my parents, with dark black hair which was slicked back in an older style. He wore the blue suit and red cape with the huge "S" shield on his chest, that he's always wearing on the news. He did look quite formidable and I know I wouldn't want to fight him, but he did have a kindness on his face unlike on the news where his face always looked so stern.

Next to him stood a girl. Like my parents said, younger than me but not too young. She was about a foot shorter than Superman, maybe a bit more, with long dirty blond hair. She seemed fairly normal, wearing a white long sleeve shirt with a white symbol like Superman's, and white slacks. She looked confused and timid.

Superman and the girl, their hands interlocked, walked over to my parents. My parents walk to meet them in the middle. Superman and the girl hug tightly for a short minute and then separate. He stands and takes a step back, he guides her to walk the rest of the way to my parents. The girl walks slowly up to my mother. My mom leans down slightly and gently touches her shoulders, before bringing one hand up to hold her face then looks back at my dad. I can only imagine she was offering words of comfort to the girl.

The girl looks up to my window, seeing me for the first time. We exchange glances for a couple seconds before she turns around to look at Superman again. He smiles, back at his original position, before flying off back in the direction he came from.

My life is never going to be the same again.

 _Present day_

I'm working with one of the wooden dummies with multiple arms. No one is available right now and I just need to work through some thoughts. So, as I beat the crap out of this dummy, I think.

 _2 years ago_

Unlocking my apartment door, I am looking through my mail, placing each piece behind the other as I look at the sender, when my eyes land on a piece from the medical school I was going to. The paper reads as I expected. Ms. Danvers, you are being placed on academic probation… blah, blah, blah.

I toss the piece of mail, along with the rest, on the counter of my kitchen island. Heading over to the sink, I grab the counter with both hands and look down into the sink before sighing deeply. I open a cabinet and pull down a glass. The almost empty bottle of scotch sits there, mocking me. I grab it and fill the glass halfway. After recapping the scotch bottle, I grab the glass angrily before walking over to the balcony doors and throwing them open. I look out into the city that I've called my home for the last six years of my life. I got my bachelor's in three years and went on to medical school, accelerated as well, and was going to be going into my residency in the fall. Unless I flunk out. Lately, I've lost sight of the point to the current route of my life. Sure, saving lives. But would I really be saving lives? And how could I keep an eye on my sister if I was at a job 12, 14, 16 hours a day, multiple shifts, etc.? That's what I should do. I have to make sure that she stays safe.

I take a swig, downing half the glass. My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see Kara has texted a picture. I open the message and see an article that reads "Superman puts Lex Luthor in Jail Once Again". I sigh. I'm going to have to talk her out of being a superhero again. Another buzz.

Look what he did now?! I could do that! – Kara

Kara, you have to keep yourself safe. The world doesn't need another hero. Clark is enough. – I text back. I take another sip of my scotch. Another buzz.

But, I just want to help people… – Kara

I know. But if you work your way up in Catco then you can make a difference that way. You can help people that way. – I text, in return, finishing the drink. I walk back over to the kitchen to get more scotch. My phone buzzes again.

Ok, I know you're right. I should stay safe. Sister night with pizza and pot stickers, tonight? :D – Kara

I pour another drink, half full again, and groan to myself. That letter from school has kind of ruined my mood but I know that sister night will most likely be done by 10 and I can go out after that to try and forget. I need to savor this drink because it'll be beer for the next four hours until Kara leaves.

Of course. I'll order it now and hopefully it'll be here just after you get here. 3 – I text back trying to play it off that I'm fine. Buzz.

Sweet! See you soon! – Kara

I think for a second, staring down at my drink. I throw back my drink in one long swig, before walking over to the balcony again and opening my phone to call the pot sticker place first, they always take longer.

 _Present Day_

"Agent Danvers!" Hank brings me back to the present.

"Yes, sir." I reply, stopping my motions with the wooden dummy.

"I need you to report to the debriefing room. We have found evidence of another possible escapee from Fort Rozz." Hank says.

"Yes, sir. I'll be right there." I say, exhaling. I turn away from the dummy and head out of the training room, towards the debrief room.

I hate keeping stuff from Kara. I'm good at it when I want to be, but it slowly eats away at me. And this has been a long two years. Thankfully, I do feel better about my path. I know I'm helping the world better as a DEO Agent than I ever would have as a doctor. And this way I can help protect Kara, even if she doesn't know I'm protecting her. I wonder how many more times I'm going to have to talk her out of being a superhero. Oh well, such is my struggle I guess.

"Director Henshaw." I say, as I approach the main table.

"Agent Danvers. There are some locals reporting extranormal activities in Geneva. I need you to go, covertly, and access the situation to see what further action needs to be taken. Vasquez has booked you a flight, it leaves in three hours. Dismissed." Hank says.

"Yes, sir." I say, turning around and walking away, off to home.

As I'm leaving the DEO, my phone buzzes.

Come over to my place. Now! – Kara

I smile and roll my eyes. I wonder what it is now.

Standing in front of the familiar door of my old place, I knock on the door and wait. The door is thrown open.

"I have a conference in Geneva and I need to be on a plane in 2 hours." I say, looking at my distressed sister.

"And I have a blind date in half an hour and I need you to help me pick out what to wear. I win." Kara replies

"Why do you do this to me?" I ask, sighing.

"Because I'm your sister and you love me." Kara replies, smiling defiantly.

I walk in directly over to Kara's convenience store like racks that holds all her clothes.

"I don't know I feel like I'm not living up to my potential. I went to work for Cat Grant because I thought that working in a media company run by a powerful woman who actually shapes the way people think would be the way that I could make a difference, but instead I just fetch layouts and coffee." Kara explains, while I thumb through possibilities.

"You always wanted to be normal, right? So, having a crappy boss and absolutely nothing to wear? This is what normal looks like." I reply, walking over to my sister, holding two possibilities.

"I'm not normal. I have the same powers he does. I can lift a bus, stop a bullet. Alex, I can fly. At least I think I can, I haven't done it in years." Kara says as I place the two options on the rack once more and prepare a sister speech.

"Kara. You've got a good job. You're cute. And thanks to your alien DNA you can't get pimples." I say, pausing as Kara laughs gently. "Life is not so bad, but if you really want to help someone, pick between one of these two so I can get on my plane." I continue, realizing I don't have time to talk her out of this again, I pull the two options I chose off the rack again and lift them up to her.

"Yep." Kara says, pointing to the blue shirt.

"Good choice. When in doubt go with blue, it is your color. Alright text me every detail from your date and I will call you when I'm back from Geneva. I love you." I say.

"I love you." Kara replies, I turn and leave my sister's apartment.

Time to go find out what's going on with this alien sighting in Geneva.

 _A couple hours later…_

I sit down in my seat, the window seat, about halfway back in the plane. This should be a pretty uneventful flight. The real action begins when I land. I wonder what kind of eye witness accounts there are. Sometimes it ends up being a couple of crazies, but we always have to investigate regardless of the sanity and IQ of the witness. It's nice to have a new case, I was beginning to feel a little antsy. Granted, my job is never boring, but lately I've been feeling especially uncomfortable with keeping my job a secret from Kara. She's been more headstrong about the whole superhero thing lately and it makes me worried that while I'm away she might do something.

I look up to see a man, late twenties to early thirties, with dark hair and green eyes, puts a bag in the overhead compartment above my seat. He gives a small smile, and then moves out of the aisle toward me to sit down next to me.

"Hey, I'm Ethan." He says, sitting down and sticking out a hand to shake.

"Alex." I reply, grabbing his hand and shaking it.

"What are you going to Geneva for?" He asks, settling in and buckling his belt.

"I have a conference." I reply, smiling gently.

"Oh yeah? What for?" He continues. I know this game. He's cute enough, I guess. But I don't have time for anyone in my life, except Kara. She's a handful.

"Medical. I'm a biomedical engineer and my company wants me to stay up to date on the latest medical advances. What are you going for?" I lie convincingly and then continue the polite conversation.

"Oh wow. That's impressive. I'm going to meet some friends there and we're just going to do some exploring and adventuring. Maybe a little sightseeing, the Pierre Cathedral and whatnot." He says, smiling.

I smile in return, not really knowing how to respond.

"Well I'm actually pretty terrified of flying so I'm going to close my eyes and try to pretend I'm not on a plane." He says.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." I say, smiling before turning my gaze out the window.

I place an earbud, filled with the music of Barenaked Ladies, in my ear before closing my eyes and leaning back. I try to relax into my seat. The current song was their newest single, "Say What You Want". As much as they've changed over the years, I still enjoy whatever they manage to put out. I feel the plane shift for takeoff.

 _Say what you want  
'Cause I can't hear you anyway  
Go where you will  
I won't steer you or lead you either way_

 _Did you just fail to mention  
Maybe I can make you smile again  
Make you smile and after a while, say  
Did I just get your attention  
Did you notice that I changed my style and then  
Made me smile, but it's not my style_

 _Still say what you want  
'Cause I can't hear you anyway  
Go where you will  
I won't steer you or lead you either way_

 _Did you lose your medication  
Or did you just want to be with me again  
I'll set you free, now let me be  
This has been an education  
Every bit of its reminding me of them  
Reminding me there is no we_

 _Now say what you want  
'Cause I can't hear you anyway  
Go where you will  
I won't steer you or lead you either way_

 _I've been…_

I feel the plane jerk, and a loud explosion off to my right. My eyes fly open, I yank my earbud out and look out the window. Flames have engulfed the engine on my side of the plane.

"Oh shit!" Ethan says beside me, gripping the armrests tightly.

I turn to see a look of pure terror on his face and many others around the plane.

 _Attention passengers, please make sure your seatbelts are fastened and your seats are in a full upright position._ The pilot says over the intercom.

The oxygen masks deploy from over our heads.

"Oh god." Ethan says.

"Hey, it's alright. The pilot knows what to do in these situations, just try to remain calm." I say, trying to keep him calm. He only nods in reply, keeping his grip tight on the arm rests.

I hate not being in control, but I checked the pilot's credentials while I was waiting in line to board. He seems to be well equipped for something like this, or at least, that's what I'm going to tell myself.

The plane starts to head toward the river. That's smart and the best way to make sure there are the least number of casualties. I sit back and close my eyes. We'll be fine. We'll be fine. We'll be fine.

I look out the window and see the flaming engine continue to burn, but next to it I see… Kara! Oh my god. What is she doing? She flies down below the plane.

Holy fuck. What am I going to do? How am I going to explain this to Mom…?

The plane veers, Ethan starts falling towards me but then grabs his armrest to hold on as the plane turns completely sideways. I try my best to support myself off the side of the plane. The wing can be heard scrapping the bridge until the wing clears it. Then everyone lurches as the plane crashes into the water. I grab both armrests, bracing myself. The plane settles and everyone starts clapping. I look out the window and see Kara pop out of the water, grabbing onto the plane's wing and pulling herself onto it. She stands on the wing, dripping wet, as helicopter lights shine down on her. I can't help but smile a little. She is truly a sight to behold.

But what am I going to do?

I can't think about that just yet. I stand up and move past Ethan and our other row guest into the aisle.

"Everyone it's okay. I'm FBI. It's going to be okay." I say to the passengers of the plane and make my way up to the cockpit.

I go through first class, up to the flight attendants' area. A young Asian woman, early thirties, stops in front of me.

"I'm sorry miss, you need to get back to your seat." She says.

"Alex Danvers. FBI. I need to speak with the pilot." I reply, flashing my badge.

"Oh, yes. Of course." She says.

I open the door. Both pilots look at me.

"Alex Danvers. FBI. What happened here guys?" I ask.

"It was the strangest thing. The engines just blew without warning. I've never seen anything like it. There were no warnings or signs that anything was wrong with them. The first one just blew. I did my best to maneuver the plane safely and then another one went. Thank God for whoever it was that saved us." The pilot replies.

"Yes." I say, more to myself, thinking of the possibilities that could've caused the plane's engines to explode. I wonder if the Fort Rozz alien is behind this.

The local harbor patrol continued with the evacuation of the passengers of the plane sitting in the water, setting up one of the ferries to grab everyone, myself included. One thought just played over and over as all I could do was wait for everything to play out: What am I going to do with Kara?

About an hour and a half later, I'm walking into my sister's apartment for the second time today.

"Oh my god." I say, as Kara is yelling at the reporter on the news.

"I know. It's incredible." Kara runs up to me and hugs me tightly.

"Ow." I say aloud, as the weight of her hug literally starts crushing something.

"Sorry. That was too hard. I'm just. I'm so excited. I still can't believe I did it." Kara says.

"Yeah. Neither can I. Are you ok?" I reply, voicing my concerns.

"Me? Am I ok? Are you ok?" Kara asks.

"Yes." I say, putting my face in my hand for a second after realizing she isn't hurt.

"Were you scared? I mean I was scared too, but you, you had to be terrified because you had no idea I was coming to save you." Kara says.

"I need a drink." This is all I can manage to say right now.

"Right. Yeah, we need to celebrate. It has been so long. I almost forgot how to fly. Well, not so much how. More. More, how it feels. Like scared, but good scared. Like, like that moment right before you kiss someone for the first time. And now. Now it's like, I'm not sure what comes next or maybe I am sure and I'm just afraid of what it means and what everyone's going to think of me." Kara babbles, as I down the drink she prepared for me, trying to keep calm.

"What were you thinking? You exposed yourself. To the world. You're out there now, Kara. Everyone will know about you and you can't take that back." I say finally, motioning to the tv, paused on the story about her, for emphasis.

"I don't want to." Kara replies.

I feel so defeated. I know this is what she's always wanted. She's always been a hero. But it's not safe for her. She could get hurt. This is what my mom always wanted me to do. To protect Kara. If I can't do that then…

"This is what I was talking about Alex. I have always felt the need to help people. And tonight, I finally got that chance. I didn't travel 2000 light years just to be an assistant." Kara says.

"What if people figure out, who you are? What you are? It's just… it's not safe, for you to do anything like that ever again." I continue to try and reason with her.

"Oh…I'm kind of tired. I just carried a plane on my back. I'm going to go to bed." Kara says.

God, the look on her face. I just took the wind out of her sails. But I can't let her get hurt.

"You should go." Kara says.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." I reply, turning to leave the apartment.

I know that conversation isn't over, but that's not the only thing I have to worry about. I still need to figure out what happened to the plane. Was it a freak accident? Or was there a target? Was there a reason?

At the DEO, I walk up to Director Henshaw.

"Agent Danvers. Glad to see you made it off that flight safely." Hank says.

"Me, too, sir. The pilots of the plane had no idea what happened with the engines. It seems too convenient. I have a feeling there is a connection that it was my plane. I think that further investigation will be needed in Geneva and I believe the threat of alien involvement is viable." I reply.

"I agree. Let's take the personal jet to avoid any other mishaps. And let's do an in-depth search of the aircraft before we take off to avoid a similar fate of flight 237. Get everyone ready to leave in one hour." Hank says.

"Yes, sir." I reply.

I turn to head to the locker room to suit up. Over the comms, I command six agents to be ready for the mission in one hour: Reynolds, Warren, Rodriguez, Delgato, O'Reilly, & Shen.

I head to the locker room once and suit up for the mission to Geneva.

I can't help but let my thoughts wander back to Kara. I can't believe she exposed herself. I hope she just listens to me and lets the hero thing go.

"Agent Danvers. Are you ready?" Hank says, over the comms.

"Yes, sir. I'll be in the hangar in 5." I reply, coming out of my haze and heading to the hangar.

We all board the aircraft, after it is thoroughly checked by the flight team. And off to Geneva we go. I start to feel my lack of sleep. Thankfully, over the past two years, I've acquired this amazing ability to sleep while in the upright position. I lean back in the seat and close my eyes. I feel a gentle elbow nudge my elbow. I open my eyes and turn to look at Shen.

"Don't worry, I'll take first watch, then I'll tag you in." Shen says next to me, giving a small smile.

"I knew there was a reason I brought you along." I reply, smiling in return.

She gives a small laugh, before I lean back and close my eyes again.

About four hours later, Shen nudges me awake.

"My turn." Shen says, before leaning back in her own seat and catching some sleep.

I get out of my seat and walk around the bay area, before going up to the cockpit.

"Everything looking good guys?" I ask.

"Yes, ma'am." The pilot replies.

A few hours later, we land. The team exits the plane, then I activate the cloaking technology for the aircraft. The reports say that the alien activity happened in a rural area, so we didn't have to worry about anyone seeing us. The team splits up and clears the area. After receiving all clears, I move my gun to my back and look around. In the report, the witness said that it looked like Thor raising his hammer into the sky and that it burned like fire.

It can only be assumed that the hammer fell off Fort Rozz whenever it fell to Earth and that it must be important to this escapee, for him to travel all this way to get it back. It also makes me wonder how he's able to know where it is. Too bad that there were far too many weapons in the Fort Rozz database to pinpoint who we'd be after. But at least it does seem that this witness is not just a loon.

I found the site where the weapon seems to have fallen and the only thing I notice is that is seems to have had a sharpened edge, ruling out a hammer. An axe, perhaps? Or a sword?

After hours of searching the area further and not getting much else, I decide to call it quits for the night.

"Alright everyone, let's head back to the ship and set up camp. We'll talk with the eyewitnesses in the morning. And see if there is anymore knowledge to be gained about our escapee then. You guys set up camp and I'll contact Director Henshaw. I'll take the first watch so get some rest team." I tell the team.

"Yes, ma'am." They all reply in unison and I uncloak the ship to let them grab supplies to set up camp.

I pull out my phone and call Director Henshaw, my other hand holding my gun, pointing it out into the night. The phone picks up.

"Henshaw." Hank says.

"Director Henshaw. The mission has provided little intel into the identity of our escapee. Examining the area, we have found the location that was described but it seems that whatever weapon was here was most likely something small enough to carry on their person and leaving very little to go on. In the report, it said a hammer but by judging the markings in the ground I would guess an ax or a sword is more likely. Other than that, no other information was useful in the area. We're going to set up camp tonight and then question the witness further to see if any more information can be gained." I reply.

"Good work, Agent Danvers. Report back when you're on your way back or if you find anything substantial." Hanks says.

"Yes, sir." I reply, then hang up.

Putting my phone back in my pocket, I look over to see the camp set up and everyone settling into the tents. I look up at the sky, to see a nice bright full moon. I can't help but think of Kara, always such a bright outlook and always wanting to help.

"Agent Danvers." Shen says, snapping me back to attention.

"Agent Shen. What can I do for you?" I reply.

"I figured I would keep you company. Make it easier to stay awake, ma'am." Shen says.

"Of course." I say.

"Besides, that lovely little cat nap from earlier has made my mind a little restless now." Shen says, smiling.

"Agreed." I reply, smiling in return.

Shen and I keep watch for about four hours before waking up Reynolds and Warren to take over. My thoughts keep wandering back to Kara during that time but then I do my best to calm my thoughts and let sleep take me.

The sun is barely risen when my eyelids flicker open. I stretch and get up. I pour a little water out of a bottle into my hand and splash it on my face. I walk out of my tent.

"Good morning, ma'am." O'Reilly says.

"Morning. Who is the most awake?" I ask, looking between O'Reilly and Rodriguez.

O'Reilly points to Rodriguez and he shrugs in acceptance.

"Alright. In about an hour, you and I are going to go into town and question the witness. It'll take about an hour to get there because we'll have to walk. Dress in casuals. And put this on your wedding finger." I toss him a wedding band from in my pocket.

"We getting married?" Rodriguez asks, grinning.

"Nope, we're already married. Keeping it covert. Don't embarrass me or you never get to be my husband again." I reply, smirking.

I go back to my tent and grab some rations to eat before we head out.

 _About an hour later…_

"Rodriguez, catch." I say throwing him a traveler's backpack, already wearing a matching one of my own.

"Everyone else, break down the camp. Then two of you can continue to search the area and make sure there isn't anything we missed but make sure two of you stay back and keep an eye on the ship. Shen, take this. And camouflage the ship when you guys are done packing up camp. We'll be back in about 3 hours." I say, tossing her the camouflage clicker.

"Yes, ma'am." Shen replies.

"Alright, Rodriguez, let's go." I say.

"Don't you mean, honey?" Rodriguez asks.

I turn around and give him an icy stare.

"Apologies, ma'am." Rodriguez quickly replies, bowing.

I smirk and then turn towards town to start walking. I hear him walking behind me.

 _3 hours later…_

"Well that didn't seem to give any more information." Rodriguez says, as we are walking back from interrogating the witness.

"Yes, it seems that they told everything they saw in the report. That's alright. The alien is long gone from here. It was to be expected." I reply.

"Here's the ring, back." Rodriguez says, giving the ring back.

"You made a pretty good husband. Thank you." I reply, taking the ring and putting it back in my pocket.

"Will I get another chance?" Rodriguez asks.

"Maybe, if you're lucky." I say simply.

We reach the team. It seems Shen and O'Reilly stayed back to guard the ship.

"Delgato. Warren. Reynolds. Come back to the ship. I think we've found all we can." I say over the comms.

"Yes, ma'am." I hear in response from the three.

After they arrive back at the ship, we all board and take off back to the DEO. I walk into the locker room and discard my gear into the appropriate locations. I exit to find the Director in the control room.

"Director Henshaw." I say.

"Agent Danvers. Did your team find anything else on our escapee?" Hanks asks.

"No, sir. It seems the witness reported everything they saw in the initial report and there was nothing that came from questioning them further, and the other agents found nothing else of value at the scene after searching again." I reply.

"Alright. Well that is the least of our problems at the moment. It seems that while you were away, your sister has been honing her craft of superheroing." Hank says.

"I'm sorry, sir. I tried to tell her to stop, but she doesn't always listen to me." I reply, groaning to myself.

"Agent Danvers. I have no choice. I need you to stop her and bring her in." Hanks says.

I look at him for a second and concede.

"Yes, sir. I'll ready a strike team." I reply, before walking away.

"Tatum, Jordan, Gustin, Amell, Harewood & Hart. We leave in 15 minutes. Suit up." I order over comms.

Fifteen minutes later we're headed out of the DEO to take out my sister. This night just can't get any better.

About a half hour later, there were reports of a building on fire. Perfect thing to draw my sister out to help. I've got a sniper staked out on a roof near the fire, waiting for my sister to fly nearby. Meanwhile, my team and I are on the ground in the vicinity of the area where she'll most likely fall.

I see Kara flying overhead and then she pauses in the sky. She turns her gaze to a fire nearby and starts to fly toward it when the snipers shoots two tranquilizer darts, able to pierce even Kara's skin. When the shots connect, the team quickly moves toward the direction she is falling. Kara falls out of the sky and lands on an SUV parked in a back alley, before rolling off onto the asphalt.

Why couldn't she have just listened to me? My strike team and I approach her, passed out on the ground.

"Reynolds. Pick her up and get her in the van." I say to one of the agents.

Reynolds holsters his weapon and picks my sister up bridal style before getting into the van nearby. I get in with them and instruct the rest of the team to meet us back at the DEO.

The driver starts heading out of the city to rural base. I wonder how she's going to react. Why did she have to continue this vigilante nonsense? Why couldn't she listen to me, just this once? I guess she probably has no idea that there is a government agency specifically for keeping the alien populace secret and under control, just like the rest of the world. Well this just blew everything…

We arrive at the base, Reynolds picks up Kara and carries her inside. I get out of the van as well. Following Reynolds, I see Director Henshaw. Why did he make me do this to my sister? Surely, he knows this will blow my cover. Unless he doesn't want me in there when they interrogate her.

"Agent Danvers. I see your mission was a success." Hank says.

"Yes, sir." I reply.

"Where would you like to put her?" Reynolds asks.

"Let's put her in the alien interrogation room, on a gurney. Alex, go put your gear away and meet me in there. I'd like your help when she comes to." Hanks says, Reynolds walk away holding Kara.

"You want me in there? You want to expose what I do to her?" I ask, confused.

"Yes. I believe it's time she knows what's been going on in the last year and ever since she landed." Hank says, before walking away.

So, I am going to have to tell Kara that I've been working here and not in a lab, well I do work in a lab here but that's not the point. What's she going to say? Or do?

"God, I need a drink." I say to myself, walking into the suit up room.

I remove all of my gear and place each piece of equipment in the appropriate location. I go to my locker and open it. I pull down a bottle I keep in here for such occasions. I take a long swig and put it back. I know I probably shouldn't drink at work. But I need something to calm me down and honestly, I haven't had a drink at work except for one other time. And that day is the only reason this bottle is in here. Not that I need to think about that day right now. I lean back against my locker and close my eyes, putting my face in my hands for a few seconds. Dropping my hands, I exhale sharply and open my eyes before heading to the interrogation room.

I open the door and see Kara lying on the table. She is just starting to come around.

"Made of low grade kryptonite. Radioactive mineral from your home planet. It weakens you." Hank says.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Kara asks.

"Name's Hank Henshaw. And uh, I believe you already know Agent Danvers." Hank replies, Kara's gaze turns to me as I walk over to her side.

"She doesn't need those." I say, removing the kryptonite cuffs they placed on Kara's wrists.

I attempt to hold her hand in mine but she jerks it away. I can't help but feel a little hurt. I can't remember the last time that she did something like that. She looks a me with a hurt look on her face. I can only offer an apologetic one in response.

"Welcome to the DEO, the department of extranormal operations. The DEO monitors and protects Earth from extraterrestrial presence and/or invasion. That means you." Hank says.

Kara leans up on the table and we all walk out to the main room of the DEO. In the main room is Kara's Kryptonian ship on display. Kara walks toward it and Hank and I follow her.

"Your ship. We keep it here as a reminder of the day you crashed on Earth. You're the reason for all of this." Hank says.

"Me. But. My … But my cousin was here two dozen years before me." Kara replies.

"And it was his arrival that triggered the need for this organization. We realized we weren't alone in the universe and we might soon be getting more … immigrants. Sure enough, you came along. And with you, Fort Rozz." Hank says.

"Fort Rozz?" Kara asks.

"Krypton's maximum-security prison. Banished to the Phantom Zone, same place your ship got stuck. But just like yours, it didn't stay there. We're not sure how your pod got loose. What we do know is this… you pulled Fort Rozz with you. When it crashed, the alien convicts, the worst criminals in the galaxy, they all escaped. And you brought them here. These beings, some of them have powers from your darkest nightmares. For over a decade they've stayed hidden. But in the last year many have been emerging, making themselves known." Hank explains.

"They're planning something. We're just not sure what it is yet." I say.

"Your plane. That wasn't an accident. They were trying to kill you. I can help you stop them." Kara says.

"How? You couldn't even stop us from capturing you." Hank says.

"I'm still learning." Kara replies.

"Our job is keeping people in the dark about alien life on Earth, and nothing says 'covert operation' like a flying woman in a red skirt." Hank says.

"They know about my cousin, they don't fear him." Kara says.

"Plenty of people do, just not popular to admit it. You wanna help? Go back to getting someone's coffee." Hank says, walking away.

Kara turns and walks away. I run to catch up with her.

"I know you're mad and you're hurt. I wanted to tell you every single day." I explain.

"No, instead, you told me every single day not to be who I really am." Kara says, obviously hurt.

"You have to listen to me." I say.

"I can't. This just kind of feels like one big coincidence, doesn't it? You working here, hunting down aliens, me being one? I, I can't help but think the real reason that you were recruited was because of me." Kara says.

"They recruited me because my background in bio-engineering makes me an expert on alien physiology. And, yeah, it helps that I shared a bathroom with one." I say, realizing that maybe she was right.

"I'm leaving now. Unless you want to try and stop me. Which I wouldn't." Kara says, before walking away.

I watch her walk away and I am feeling so frustrated. Director Henshaw walks back over to me.

"I know you don't wanna hear this, Agent Danvers, but she's dangerous. You above all people should know that." Hank says.

I roll my eyes internally at his statement. I know the DEO is supposed to be suspicious of all aliens but this is Kara. He can't honestly think that Kara would ever do anything to intentionally hurt anyone. And if he can't believe that, he sure as shit should know that I'm not going to believe it. I just walk away.

Kara isn't dangerous. She just isn't trained. That isn't her fault. As much as I want to protect her, maybe the best way to have her be protected is to teach her to protect herself. But then again, the more you know, the more likely dangerous people will come after you. It's like that age-old argument about how Superman being Superman actually draws supervillains to him. A lot would argue that if he wasn't around that the danger wouldn't present itself in the first place. Man, I don't know.

I can't think about this right now. We have to track down "Thor" or whatever this alien is.

How are we going to find this guy?

"Agent Danvers, Director Henshaw," Vasquez calls, as I walk from my lab back into the main control room. I didn't realize that Hank was in the vicinity as well.

"Yes. What is it, Vasquez?" Hank asks in reply.

"We just picked up on a transmission, sent out at 50,000 hertz." Vasquez says.

"No one transmits at that frequency. No one would be able to understand it." Hank says.

"No one from this planet." I say.

We all exchange a look.

"Is there anyway to convert the message into a form that we can understand what was said?" Hank asks.

"Not that I know of, but if the message was targeted towards Supergirl I am able to track her." Vasquez says.

"That'll work. Agent Danvers, assemble a strike team." Hank says.

"Yes, sir." I say, to Hank and walk away.

"Rodriguez, Shen. Moving out in 10. Meet in the hangar. We're taking the combat copter." I say into my comms, while walking into the locker room.

"Yes, ma'am." I hear them both reply separately, as I suit up in combat gear.

I don't really like the idea of tracking my little sister, when I know she's already pissed at me but it doesn't seem like there is any other way. I leave the locker room and head towards the hangar.

Shen and Rodriguez are sitting up in the cockpit. As I walk in, Rodriguez turns on the copter and I climb in, buckling in. We take off towards the blip on the radar, otherwise known as Supergirl.

After being in the air for about 15 minutes, I start here loud crashing noises. We're near the power plant and I look out the side of the copter to see Kara and the "Thor" alien fighting. He looks pretty humanoid except for the fact that his head has these grooves in it that remind me of Star Trek characters.

"Shen, come back on the machine gun. I'm going to repel down." I say.

"Yes, ma'am." Shen says, unbuckling and coming back to take position on the machine gun.

I prepare a rope to vault down but then I see the alien leaning over Kara, choking her. The pilot fires a missile, scaring Vartox into letting Kara go. I repel down from the helicopter and land, before running over to Kara.

"Trap One, pursue the hostile." I say, into my comms.

"Copy that." Rodriguez says.

"Hey, hey I'm here. I got you, I got you." I say, holding Kara who looked pretty worn out and scared.

The helicopter fires more missiles at the alien until he eventually escapes.

"Circle back and get us out of here." I say, after he escapes.

The helicopter circles back and lands nearby. I help Kara up, and wrap her uninjured arm around my shoulders before walking her over to the helicopter. I step in first and pull her up into the helicopter before sitting her down in one of the seats and buckling her in. I sit down next to her, staying silent because I know she's probably still angry with me. I lean forward and look down at the floor.

"Alright we're strapped in. Take us back." I say, into my comms.

"Copy that." Rodriguez says and the helicopter lifts off the ground, heading back to the DEO.

Kara places her good hand on my forearm. I look at her hand and then look back at her. She gives me a gentle smile. I smile in return.

"Did the alien happen to say his name?" I ask.

"Vartox." Kara says.

"Ok. Thanks. Hank, tell Vasquez to do a search through the Fort Rozz files on an alien called Vartox." I say, into my comms.

"Alright. Well done, Agent Danvers." Hank says.

"You can thank Supergirl." I say, but I get no response.

Back at the base, I help her out of the helicopter and, seeing that she still looked pretty weak, put her arm around my shoulders once again, helping her into the base. I guided her to the medical area of the DEO.

"Wait here, I'm going to take my gear off. I'll be right back." I say.

"Ok." Kara replies.

I walk to the locker room and change, meeting her after a couple minutes. Kara is holding her arm, still wincing in pain. I grab some curved forceps and a small vial. I look closely at her arm before using the forceps to remove the shard of Vartox's ax from Kara's arm. Kara's cut heals instantly after the shard is removed. I place the shard into the vial.

"You're gonna be ok." I say.

"I never felt pain like that before. Uh, I've never felt pain." Kara replies, I screw on the lid to the vial.

"You're not indestructible, Kara." I say, walking over to the computer and placing the vial on the scanner.

"Nice move nearly letting that alien cut you in half. If we can ID his weapon, it might give us a way to defeat him. Look at that. You did help." Hank says, while looking between Kara and the computer screen, chuckling shortly and then walking away.

"Did you know about my mom? That she was the one who locked up all those aliens?" Kara asks.

"It's why I didn't want you going out there. Showing yourself, showing this." I say, pointing to her suit. "The Fort Rozz escapees would give anything to get revenge on your mother and the only way that they can do that now is to hurt you. I'm trying to protect you." I explain, pointing to her suit.

"You were right. The world doesn't need me." Kara says, sounding defeated.

She gets off the table and leaves. I look after her as she walks away.

I'm worried about Kara but I decide to go back to my work on analyzing the ax sample. After a half hour of analyzing, something stands out to me. It seems that there is a unique radiation being emitted from the ax. Maybe Vasquez can use this to track Vartox. I grab a USB drive with the data and walk out to the main control room.

"Hey Vasquez, the shard emits a unique radiation. Do you think you might be able to find a way to track Vartox using that?" I ask.

"Yeah, I should be able to. It might take a couple hours but I'll let you know when I've got something." Vasquez replies.

"Alright thanks." I say then I walk off to the locker room.

I can't help that my thoughts migrate back to Kara.

I shouldn't feel bad. She could get hurt, or killed, trying to go against these aliens. I am just trying to protect her. But let's be honest, even the DEO isn't equipped to face some of these aliens. What if it gets to the point where we can't handle a foe? Then Kara won't be ready, or trained, in any real capacity. She won't have the confidence to know she can handle something, even when she can.

But then again, maybe she can't handle it.

Oh, who are you kidding? Kara can handle anything. The DEO could use her help. She is strong enough to do this. We can handle anything together.

But, look what you did now. Your sister no longer believes in herself. In your attempt to protect her, she's now not even really herself at all. Would it really be so bad if she was a hero? I mean, who cares if Mom lectures me about it. I can't let Kara lose who she's always been. She's an adult, now. My mom can't hold Kara back anymore. And neither can I. It's clear that she's meant to be hero. I don't know why I've been trying to stop it this whole time. Just because she gets to shine doesn't mean that I don't, right?

Looking up at the clock, half past six, I take off my lab coat and head toward the exit.

A short time later, I'm standing in front of my sister's apartment, again, worried about her. Again. As much as I know she wants this, I know what it could mean and what it could lead to. I sigh before raising a fist to the door and I knock a few times.

"Kara, it's me. Can we talk? I know you can see me. I know what you're thinking. That this is all your fault. But it's not. Before you came to live with us, I was the star. And then, I mean, how could I compete with you? With someone… who could touch the stars? You know, I was happy when you decided not to use your powers. You know, you feeling like less, somehow… made me feel like more. Now… the world needs you to fly, Kara." I say, still standing outside her door.

Kara opens the door.

"I can't, Alex. I can't do it." Kara says.

"Yeah, you can. Your family believes in you." I reply.

"I know you do." Kara says.

"No, I don't mean me." I reply, pulling out the Kryptonian hologram box.

"That's Kryptonese writing." Kara says, taking the box from my hands.

"Yeah. Hank and his old team recovered it from the pod that brought you to Earth." I explain.

We walk into her apartment and she places the box on her kitchen island. The box comes to life with a life-size hologram of Kara's mother.

"Mom." Kara says.

"Kara, my brave daughter. By now you have become the woman I knew you would grow up to be. And though you were sent to Earth to protect young Kal-El, your destiny is not tied to his. There is no correct path in life. You will lose your way many times. What's important is that you find your way back to the brave girl you always were. Be wise, be strong and always be true to yourself." While the hologram explains, I grab Kara's hand for support.

I watch Kara as she focuses on the hologram. Kara walks forward to touch the projection and it disappears. Kara put her hand over her face and lets out a soft sob. Then she turns around to face me.

"So, what do we do now?" Kara asks, still sniffling a little.

"First things first. You need to change." I reply.

We exchange smiles.

Kara and I walk into the DEO about half an hour later.

"It's Agent Danvers and her sister from another planet." Hank says.

"She's here to help us fight Vartox." I reply.

"I told you, I don't trust aliens." Hank says, walking over to us.

"There's no one I trust more. Like her cousin she was sent here, too, to help us. And if you want any more of my help, we're gonna let her." I reply, staring him down.

"I found Vartox. Sir. Ma'ams." Vasquez says, Hank turns back to her.

"Where?" Hank asks, walking back up to the computers.

"The sliver of metal you extracted from Supergirl's arm. Vartox's ax has a unique nuclear thumbprint. Satellites picked him up heading towards the city." Vasquez explains.

"Vartox said he was ready to start killing humans." Kara says.

"Order a strike team to intercept." Hank says.

"Your men will not be able to stop him." Kara replies.

"Thank you for your opinion, Miss Danvers." Hank says.

"Director Henshaw. People of this city will die because of something I did. I started this. You have to let me stop it." Kara replies, walking over to be in front of Hank.

"Make sure you win." Hank says.

Kara turns around to leave.

"Wait, hold on Kara. Take this. So, we can stay in contact." I say, holding out the comms we use at the DEO.

She nods, putting the two-part device in her ear and mouth before walking out of the DEO. I keep my eyes on the computer screen and watch the orange dot as it moves along the roads mapped on the screen.

"Do you have eyes on the target?" Hank asks a few minutes later.

"I got him." Kara replies, over the comms.

The orange dot comes to a stop on the screen.

"You never should've come back for more." Vartox can be heard over the comms.

"She's not strong enough." Hank says, staring at the bird's eye view of the fight and then looking back at me.

"Why? Because she's just a girl? It's exactly what we were counting on." I reply.

Kara kicks him through some rubble.

"I analyzed the metal on the ax. It's powered by a self-generating atomic charge reaching temperatures up to 2500 degrees." I explain.

"How does that help?" Hank asks.

"If it gets any hotter than that it's gonna explode. She just has to get close enough to do her thing." I say.

Kara continues fighting Vartox, not that I can see too much. Vartox is over Kara and punches her into the ground.

"Stop. I give up. I don't wanna die." Kara says.

"Give your mother my regards." Vartox says.

Vartox swings his ax down, but Kara catches it.

"Kara, do it now." I instruct.

Kara begins to use her heat vision on his ax. It doesn't appear to have much effect.

"It's not working. I can't do it." Kara says, sounding worried.

"It's why you were sent here. I believe that now, you have to believe it too." I reply.

Kara increases her heat vision and eventually the ax explodes. Vartox is blown back, weakened and on the ground. Kara gets up and walks up to Vartox.

"It's over." Kara says.

"You think I'm the threat. You have no idea what's coming." Vartox replies.

Vartox leans forward grabs a piece of his shattered ax and stabs himself. The agents in the control room clap softly for the victory.

"She followed your orders. She won." I say to Hank.

"Yeah. This time." Hank says and then starts to walk away.

"Director Henshaw. I wasn't only recruited because of my sister, was I?" I ask, unable to help my curiosity and self-consciousness.

"Yeah. She's why you got in. You… are why you get to stay." Hanks says, before turning to walk away.

I can't help but smile to myself.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So, this is probably a safe expectation of how often to expect chapters from me. If I do more than one a month, then I am feeling inspired but I'll at least do one a month. I spend a lot of time researching and thinking about the details so yeah, it's the best I can do for now. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2

 _14 years ago_

My bedroom door opens and my mother, father and this new, young stranger are standing in the doorway. My mom gently guides her through the door and steps in after her.

"Kara. This is our daughter, Alex. Alex, this is Kara." Mom says.

The blond just stands there staring, rather intently at me. Realizing she isn't going to say anything, I give in and wave at her.

"Hi. I'm Alex." I say, before reaching a hand toward her in greeting.

Kara's gaze drops down to my hand, and her head just turns slightly in confusion. I drop my hand, realizing that she isn't going to shake it.

"Why don't you girls get to know each other? We'll be downstairs if you need us." Mom says, both her and Dad slowly back out the door and close it behind them.

We both just stare at each other for a minute. I try and break the silence.

"So, you're from Krypton? Like Superman?" I ask.

"Superman?" Kara asks.

I think for a minute. I remember Mom saying they were related, cousins I think, but maybe she doesn't call him that.

"Yeah, your cousin. That's what we call him here. What do you call him?" I say.

"Kal-El." Kara says.

"So, you are cousins?" I ask, trying to confirm.

"Yes." Kara says.

She looks outside. The sun is starting to set. It does look really pretty out the window.

"Do you want to go watch the sun set outside?" I ask.

Kara turns and looks at me, looking a little confused at my question.

"It's kind of hard to explain but it looks really pretty. I like to hang my legs off the cliff and watch it set. Would you want to do that?" I ask, clarifying.

Kara simply nods her head.

I reach out and offer my hand. Kara takes it, reluctantly. I grasp her hand and pull her down the stairs.

Mom and Dad look at us when we reach the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm going to take her outside so we can watch the sun set. Is that alright?" I ask.

They both smile and nod. Then I pull Kara the rest of the way outside. At the cliff I stop and let go of Kara's hand.

"Now, I just like to sit on the cliff and hang my legs over the side, like this." I say, showing her by sitting down, bending my legs over the edge and leaning back on my hands and staring out towards the sea and the sun.

I can see Kara looking at me, in my peripherals, for a minute and then she shifts down onto the ground, into a position just like mine. That was our first sunset together, sitting in silence, both just trying to get used to this crazy new change in our lives.

 _Present day_

My alarm blares. 5AM. On the dot, like always. I've been up for a few minutes just staring at the ceiling. I lean forward and go start the coffee pot before hopping in the shower.

Today is Kara's first day of training. She is excited, as am I. It'll be nice to not have to keep such a huge part of my life secret from her anymore. I wonder what it'll be like working together on cases. It going to take some doing to convince Hank to let her help more. He's always treated all aliens as hostiles, which I can't blame him since it is his job to question first. I know Kara just wants to help though, so it'll be difficult trying to get through to him nonetheless.

I wonder how he got into this and if he hates aliens or just wants to protect the Earth. Although I've know him for almost two years, I know very little about him. I think that's how he prefers it, so I don't pry. He's never given me reason to not trust him.

I exit the shower and dry myself off. I dress in DEO standards: black underwear, black polo, black slacks, black socks and boots to match. Lots of black. Heading to the kitchen, I open up the bag of bagels next to the coffee pot and put each half in a side of the toaster before pouring a cup of coffee. I'm not really sure why I drink coffee, I rarely have an issue with being sleepy. Habit, I suppose. I take a sip and grab the mail that I dropped on the kitchen counter last night without looking at. Placing the cup on the counter, I look through each piece seeing nothing but bills. The last piece is the latest copy of National Geographic.

The toaster pops behind me with my everything bagel, a light golden color. I open the fridge for some butter and grab a small plate from the cabinet overhead. I place the bagel on the plate and spread a little butter on it before tucking the magazine under my arm and walking my bagel and coffee over to the table.

I thumb through the magazine as I eat my bagel and drink my coffee. It's an issue mostly about space, so that's fascinating. I laugh softly to myself. I read a couple articles, 'How Stars Get their Names', 'Why NASA's Interstellar Mission Almost Didn't', 'This is What a Martian Looks Like', and a couple others. I wonder what a Martian really does look like and if there was life on Mars. If so, I wonder what happened because the space rover didn't find anything, but who knows maybe they just landed in a rural part of the planet. It's not like Earth doesn't look empty in parts.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out. A text from Director Henshaw.

Agent Danvers. We're meeting out at the rural base today to train your sister and see what she can do in the air. 0900. – Hank's text reads.

Yes, sir. – I reply before looking up at the clock. 6:45 AM.

It takes almost an hour to get to that base. And he'll want me there before we start. I finish my bagel and drink the last of the coffee before going into the bathroom to brush my teeth and put on a little makeup. After cleaning up my dishes, I grab my black belt with compartments, that I use in place of a purse at work, and tuck my shirt in while exiting my apartment. I pull out my phone on the way down to the garage. I think for a second, while entering the elevator, and realize it is Sunday so I hold off on texting Kara. Putting my phone back in my pocket, I exit the elevator and walk over to my Ducati. I unlock the helmet, put it on and get on, starting the bike, before driving to the DEO.

We haven't used this base much until this past week. It's so far out that it doesn't really make sense unless we're doing things that we don't want civilians to see, like Supergirl in training. I think the other reason might be that Hank is not ready to let Kara know about the base in the city.

Arriving at the base, I park my bike in the usual spot. Only a couple other cars are here, including Director Henshaw's classic blue convertible. After locking my helmet back up, I head inside. I see Hank in the main control room and pull my phone out to send Kara a text.

Kara, meet us at the DEO at 9. – I text her. She replies almost immediately.

Yay. Will do. :D – Kara replies.

"Director Henshaw." I say.

"Agent Danvers. Go ahead and get outside. I'd like you to start calculating the possibilities of Miss Danvers' abilities. What can we expect based on what we know about Superman? That way we can see if she is living up to those numbers and if she's fully in control." Hank says.

"Yes, sir." I say, before turning around to head out to the field.

Outside there are already a couple tents set up, with table and equipment still being connected. I see a clear whiteboard and on the table behind it, a couple binders with information regarding Superman. I start thumbing through the binders and write relevant data on the whiteboard before working out some formulas to help calculate what my sister should be capable of.

After about an hour searching through the binders on Superman, I think I've come up with some solid numbers on what we can expect from Kara. Just in time, too, because Kara lands next to me, fully outfitted.

"Hey, what is that?" Kara asks, motioning towards the white board.

"That is what we are expecting from you. Numbers based on what we know about Superman, but related to what you should be able to do." I say.

"No pressure." Kara says, chuckling softly.

"You can do this." I say, Hank walks up behind us.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Miss Danvers?" Hank asks.

Kara looks back at him, then back at me. I can only offer a gentle smile. The next couple hours are going to be tough but I know she can handle it. The time goes by quickly as Kara is taken through dozens of tests of strength, speed and endurance. The first test had her demolishing gradually larger boulders. Another one had her race a missile, running not flying. The tests continue and I take notes during each one. She is matching up pretty well to what I expected. It seems like she's starting to feel it though, so I'm wondering if maybe we should stop.

The current test is her flying and dodging missiles. She's flying overhead, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. I know she can go faster. She is almost hit by the current missile.

"Is that the fastest you can go?" Hank asks, into the comms.

"Are these tests mandatory for everyone or just because I'm a …" Kara asks, in return.

"It's not because you're a woman, Miss Danvers. The DEO requires rigorous physical and psychological evaluation for all its prospective field operatives." Hank says.

"I was gonna say alien." Kara replies.

"A novice superhero could be a liability in a field. I need to know you're in full control of your powers. Stamina, strength, speed." Hank says.

I walk up to the clear whiteboard to look at the calculations we went over earlier. She should be able to go faster than this. I wonder if the calculations are wrong or if Kara just isn't pushing herself to what I know she can do.

Just as this thought comes to mind, Kara kicks it up a notch and explodes forward, effectively shattering the clear white board. A smile comes to my face.

"My sister just broke the sound barrier, sir." I say, walking over to Hank.

"Fire again." Hank says.

Another two missiles launch into the air, one heading toward each side of Kara. Kara accelerates and flies higher, tricking the missiles into colliding with each other and exploding on impact. Shortly after, Kara lands triumphantly on the ground.

"So, did I pass?" Kara says.

"I see you share your cousin's appetite for wanton destruction, Miss Danvers." Hank says.

"You know I am starting to answer to Supergirl." Kara says, Hank looks at her blankly before walking away. "It's cool… we'll find our thing."

"Is all of this really necessary? I'm ready, Alex, for all of it. I can do this." Kara says.

"Believe it or not, he's just looking out for you. You know, we both are. I had a full year of training before he even let me in the field. But I am really glad that you're here, though. I hated keeping this whole part of my life from you." I say, trying to offer something to soothe her excitement.

As much as I know she wants to get out there again, the DEO, and I, need to make sure she is prepared to deal with anything that might come her way.

"And growing up, I always thought you were such a bad liar." Kara says, I smile.

"That's what a good liar makes you think." I reply.

Kara turns her gaze away from me, my guess listening to some other comms device in her other ear. It's a miracle she hears actual conversations she's having.

"Winn, what is it? I'm kind of busy right now." Kara says, seemingly to herself.

A slight pause, while she's listening to her friend Winn.

"All right. I'm on my way. Fire at the port. Gotta go." Kara says before walking toward the cliff.

"Hey, you've been dodging missiles and pushing your endurance for the last two hours. Even you have your limits." I reply, following her as she walks away.

"For the last twelve years I hid who I was. I don't have to anymore. And I don't want to waste a minute of it. Besides, this sounds like a job for Supergirl." Kara says, grinning.

She bursts off the ground, heading north. As she flies away, I can't help but worry. She is so excited to get out there but I'm not sure she's ready.

"Agent Danvers." Hank says, walking over to me.

"Yes, sir." I say.

"So, how did she compare to what was calculated?" Hank asks.

"Well, she seemed to measure up near the end but it did seem like she wasn't focused or motivated, today. I don't think she is understanding how important the basics are. I'm trying to get her to understand but I'm not entirely sure how. I'll keep trying though sir." I say.

"Understood. That's all we had planned for today. You're welcome to have the rest of the day off." Hank says, walking away.

Yeah, right. Who needs time off? I head back into the base and into my lab. I log into my computer and start looking around my files. Whenever I have time where I'm not working on a case, I like to peruse through the Fort Rozz files and learn about new possible aliens that I could encounter any day.

I think there are almost 100,000 prisoners logged in the Fort Rozz files.

Prisoner 893. Darlamekin. Roltikkan. Andromeda Galaxy. Forms telepathic connections by making contact with the dorsum of the tongue.

This seems like a fun file to read. The prison records are more detailed than what you would think. Aside from actual details about the criminal's actions that landed them in Fort Rozz, there are usually a lot of information on the species, planet, weaknesses, strengths and even common personality traits for certain aliens.

I pour through file after file. Taking my own notes and categorizing each prisoner in my own system that helps me retain information on each. Not only is all the physiological information fascinating but the more I learn, the more prepared I feel when I go out to take on a new threat.

"Agent Danvers." Shen says, from the doorway, knocking on the frame of the door, shocking me out of my fascination.

"Yes, Agent Shen." I say.

"Would you mind being a sparring partner for me? I've asked a couple others but they were either about to head home or busy with other projects." Shen asks.

I look up at the clock. Shit, it's already seven o'clock. Where did the time go? I guess that's enough time of staring at files.

"Yeah, sure. Anything in particular you're working on?" I say, saving and logging out of my computer before getting up to meet Shen at the door.

"Not really, but I guess reaction time if I have to name something." Shen says.

"Sounds good." I say, walking down the hall with her until we reach the sparring room.

I unbuckle my utility belt, that holds my gun and a couple other nifty items, and lay it down on a bench just inside the room. Shen does the same before stepping up on the platform and getting into a starting stance. I walk up onto the platform as well before taking my own guarded stance.

After a second, Shen throws a punch toward me which I dodge and then I return a punch connecting hard against her ribs. She recoils and drops to the floor, before sweeping a leg and removing my legs from under me. I land hard on my back but roll away and backflip back onto my feet. Her attempted punch connects with the ground and she groans in pain, before standing up again.

She moves closer and kicks with her right leg, which I block, but she quickly maneuvers to kick with her left leg and that connects with my ribs. She attempts a right hook which I redirect downward then sidestep around her and elbow her in the back and she falls forward.

She gets up halfway then tries to sweep my legs out from under me again but I jump over her leg and then kick towards her upper arm, which she mostly blocks but rolls back before I can continue my onslaught.

The sparring continues on for a while.

"Alright, I think I'm done." Shen says, holding up a T with her hands, smiling.

I glance at my watch. 9:15.

"Oh, wow. Yeah, we've been going at it longer than I thought." I say, bending over and catching my breath for a second.

Shen had just knocked the wind out of me a few minutes ago and I hadn't fully recovered before.

"Thanks for the spar. I learned a lot." Shen says, offering a hand.

"Yeah, of course. I always learn sparring with you. You've got some unique combos." I say, leaning back up, I grab her hand and shake it.

Shen and I descend the platform and grab our respective belts. I snap mine on and turn around to Shen holding out a water bottle.

"I figured we'd both need some water after training." Shen says, smiling.

I take the water and open it, drinking about half the bottle.

"Thanks." I say.

We both walk back to the locker room. Inside my locker, I pull out a towel and wipe my face, then hang the towel back up before grabbing my keys.

"Have a good night, Shen." I say, walking out of the room.

"You, too, Agent Danvers." Shen says.

As I walk out of the DEO I pull out my phone and see one of the major stories of the day being about Supergirl. I open the story up and sit on my motorcycle. It looks like Supergirl caused an oil spill.

"Oh Kara." I say to myself.

How's everything going? – I text to Kara.

The superhero thing is still a tender subject for us but I do want her to do well.

Sure. Everything's great! – Kara texts in return.

She's doing that whole thing, where she pretends everything is fine by overexaggerating how great it is but I won't press her if she doesn't want to talk just yet. I'll give her a couple days.

I shove my phone back in my pocket and start my bike, before backing out of my parking spot and heading home.

We're not really fighting but things are still a little uneasy.

I miss my sister. She doesn't even want to do sister night since all this started. I know I just need to be patient but it's difficult.

I pull into the parking spot for my apartment. I stop by my mailbox and grab the mail before heading up to my apartment. I open the door and drop the mail on the counter.

I walk into the kitchen and pull down a glass before pouring two fingers of scotch from the decanter I keep on the counter. I unhook my work belt and place it, along with my keys, on the counter before grabbing the glass and heading to my closet to change into some pajamas, blue camisole and light grey sweatpants. I grab the glass again and take a swig, before walking over to the couch and flipping on the TV. There is a show called Forged in Fire on the History Channel. I select it and am pleasantly surprised. It's a blacksmith competition show. I'm so down for this.

I spend the next hour watching four blacksmiths dwindle down to two. And the final weapon they recreate for the final round is a chakram. Apparently, it was made famous on the Xena: Warrior Princess show but it originated in India.

"This is fascinating." I say, smiling to myself.

I haven't enjoyed a show this much since Deadliest Warrior. I usually gravitate toward Animal Planet or Discovery just because I don't watch a whole lot of tv and I don't see the point in getting too drawn into shows. I only really watch dramatic shows on sister night with Kara. I am not about drama.

It seems I've gotten a little too caught up with the show though because it's already 2 in the morning. Whoops. Oh well, I don't go in until later tomorrow. Maybe my body will let me sleep in.

I finish my scotch before walking to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I turn my alarm back to 9 am, just on the off chance my body decides to sleep. After that I hop in bed and drift off to sleep, uneasily while still thinking about Kara and how we're still on rocky terms.

 _14 years ago_

"So, what do you think?" I ask Kara after a while.

"Pretty." Kara says simply.

"Yeah." I agree.

I am trying to think of things to talk about with her. I want her to feel safe here. I can't imagine having to leave Earth. I heard she left because her planet blew up and can't be returned to. She seems like a pretty genuine person, which I'm already learning is hard to come by. I've lost a few friends due to petty arguments and other issues. But I do have a couple close friends, Vicky Donahue and Josie Martin. I don't know how much I'd really trust them though. I'm always a little hesitant with what I tell them.

Maybe I could actually be able to trust her. I guess we'll see.

"Girls. Come inside. Time for dinner." Mom calls from the porch.

This shakes me out of my thoughts and I realize that the sun has completely set now. I look over at Kara who is looking at me. I smile and get up before offering my hand to her. She smiles and grabs it, using me to pull herself up.

We start running towards the house and I turn to see Kara grinning before bursting forward and reaching the porch instantly. My mouth falls open involuntarily. Kara looks back at me, smiling mischievously. I shut my mouth and smirk in return. So, she's competitive. Good to know.

I make it to the porch a few seconds later.

"That is quite a sight." I say, laughing slightly.

Kara grins and I look over to my mom. She has a worried look on her face. I wonder what is bothering her. We enter the house and head to the dining table. I sit down on the side where I always sit and Kara sits next to me. My mother isn't a magnificent cook but she can follow a recipe and she loves taking inspiration from around the world. So, we have a meal from a different country every night. Tonight's country is China.

"It's called Jiaozi, otherwise known as potstickers. It's served with fried rice and shredded cabbage on the side. I believe it's important to try many foods to help understand other cultures." Mom says, the last part explaining for Kara.

"It looks good, Mom." I say, more than used to the unique dishes that are on the table night after night. I've learned to appreciate this activity in our house.

Kara looks down at the plate, studying carefully. I'm sure this is her first meal on Earth.

"What kind of food did you eat on Krypton?" I ask.

"We made our sustenance. It was in pill form. Made by the Kryptonian Science Guild." Kara explains.

"Hmm. Well I think you'll like this. It's one of the milder nights here. One time we ate fried crickets. Trust me, you would not have appreciated that night." I say, shuddering at the thought of that night again.

She looks at me, unsure of what to do. I smile and pick up my chopsticks. That's right. My mom makes us eat the meals how the culture would eat. I show Kara how I'm holding the chopsticks and wait for her to pick her own up.

"Like this." I say.

Kara looks at her own chopsticks and picks them up, then looks at my hand again, mimicking my hand position.

"Good. Now you use your fingers to open them up and grab it." I say, smiling and then grabbing a potsticker from the middle plate with the chopsticks and put it on my plate.

Kara watches closely, and then practices the movement to open the chopsticks and close them a couple times. She then looks at the plate and grabs her own, slipping up just a little on the initial grab, before successfully grabbing one and putting it on her plate.

"There you go. See, not that hard. And now you just eat." I say, picking up the potsticker on my plate and taking a bite.

I smile at her, and chew a couple times before swallowing. Kara looks down at her potsticker and picks it up again with her chopsticks, taking a bite. Her eyes widen, she chews a couple times and a huge smile spreads across her face. She swallows.

"This is delicious." Kara says, before taking another bite. I laugh.

"Glad you like it." I say, before filling my plate with some fried rice and cabbage as well.

I wonder what other things she doesn't know how to do. I just smile to myself, I finally have a sister that I can hang out with and teach things to.

My dad walks into the kitchen and sits down across from Kara, and my mom sits across from me. This is strange because usually, they both take the seats at each end of the table. Uh-oh. This usually happens when I'm in trouble. What did I do? I've been nothing but welcoming. What did I do wrong? I gulp the bite I was chewing down. I see Kara stop her gorging on potstickers to look at me, in my peripherals. She must have noticed the change in my behavior.

"What's wrong with your heart?" Kara asks, I snap to look at her.

"What do you mean? My heart?" I ask, still nervous with my parents across the table.

"It's beating really fast. What's wrong?" Kara says.

"You can hear it?" I say, ignoring the question.

"Yes." Kara says, simply.

"I'll have to keep that in mind." I say, laughing nervously.

Kara smiles in return. There is a silence for a few seconds as we just smile at each other. I've almost forgotten my parents' impending scolding waiting across the table.

"Girls. Kara." Dad says, snapping my attention back to them.

Kara turns to look at them as well.

"Yes?" Kara says, completely oblivious of the impending doom.

"Kara, sweetie. We need you to do something for us." Dad says.

"Ok." Kara says, waiting.

"We need you to promise to not use your powers. Your cousin already protects the Earth. We just need you to be Kara Danvers." Dad says.

"But I don't understand. I want to be a hero like Clark. Why won't you let me help people?" Kara says, starting to get worked up.

"Kara. It's too dangerous. You may be powerful but you aren't invulnerable. And we think that it's most important that you remain safe. We think that is what your parents would want. We need you to stay safe, Kara." Mom says.

"You don't know what my parents would want. My mom wants me to do great things. It is the greatest honor to serve others. That's all I want to do." Kara says.

"Kara. Maybe we can discuss this again later, but for now, to ensure your safety as well as all of our safeties we need you to agree not to use your powers." Dad says, sternly.

Kara looks ready to argue on, but I gently touch her leg under the table. She stops and looks down before looking at me. I look at her intently and shake my head, almost unnoticeably, signaling that she shouldn't continue. I know that my parents only mean the best for her and if nothing else my dad left it open to discuss again later. For now, she needs to agree. Perhaps her and I can come up with some more arguments for her.

"Ok. I agree not to use my powers." Kara says.

"Thank you, Kara. I know it can't be easy but we appreciate it." Dad says.

Kara smiles gently before continuing to eat more potstickers, slower this time. I look over at her, feeling sad for her. I've never heard someone want to help people and put themselves in danger so adamantly before. She is impressive, that's for sure.

 _Present Day_

My eyes flicker open to see a dark apartment, not yet graced by the sun's light. I look over to my clock. 5:15 am. Well I slept in a whole 15 minutes. I want to just turn back over in bed and go back to sleep. However, I read in a psychological study that it's best to just wake up the first time you wake, no matter how little sleep you've gotten, because your body usually feels worse and not able to get back in its circadian rhythm.

I go through my morning routine, opting for a bowl of oatmeal with a banana instead of a bagel this time. With nothing exciting in the mail, I go back to the National Geographic I was reading yesterday to go through a couple more articles.

The sun finally rises at about 7. I have just finished my coffee and an article titled "NASA Gets Last Close Look at this Eerie Alien Moon". I take my dishes over to the sink and clean them quickly before snapping my work belt on and grabbing my keys and phone.

I don't have to be in until 11 today but it's not like I have anything to do here. So, I'm going to head into the DEO office that is near my house, only about a block away. I walk the block to the office and enter the building with my keycard. On one of the TVs mounted in the main area is repeating the story I read from last night.

"Oh, Kara…" I say softly to myself, as I read the headline 'Supergirl: Miracle or Menace".

I'm sure she is not feeling too great. I wish I could help her. But I'm going to give her space today. If she wants to talk I'll be here. But until then, I'll be working. My phone buzzes in my pocket. A text from Hank.

Agent Danvers, there are some files of Fort Rozz aliens I'd like you to look through and familiarize yourself with. You are welcome to work at the city office today if you'd like. I've emailed you a list of the prisoner numbers. – Hank's text reads.

Yes, sir. I'll look into them. – I reply back.

Since I don't actually start until 11 I head to the locker room to change into some sparring clothing instead. After changing, I head to the gym first, deciding to start with an hour of jump rope. I listen to a list of music in my phone. Consisting of mostly rock music, that ranges from alternative to screamo, I've got like three days of music on my phone. I alternate types of jumps, double jumps to crossovers to high knees, which keeps it more interesting and helps the time pass.

Soon enough the hour is over and I move on to sparring with a wooden dummy after a ten-minute water break. This dummy actually spins around creating a more lifelike dummy to fight. I dip and dodge to avoid wooden arms heading my way while returning some hits of my own to add new momentum to the swirling sections of the dummy.

After about a half hour with the wooden dummy, I hold up both arms in a blocking position to stop incoming wooden limbs before stepping back. I grab my shirt and lift it to my face to wipe away the sweat before exiting the room and heading back to the locker room.

I grab supplies from my locker to take a quick shower and I'm in and out of the shower within 5 minutes. I don't like taking my time with showers at work. I thought about just going home since it's so close by but I decided against it.

After my quick rinse, I go back to drop everything at my locker and walk to my office and start my day. I have my own lab both here and at the other office. I sit down at my computer and go to my email to start looking through the list that Hank sent me. I go through each alien and take notes of the most distinguishing information on each. It takes a while but I make it through the whole list and then I continue on with other random prisoners of Fort Rozz.

The rest of the day is uneventful. I look over several hours later to see that I've gotten lost in the countless Fort Rozz files once again. It's 10 o'clock.

"Fuck." I say aloud before rubbing my eyes and groaning before shutting my computer down and going out to the locker room.

I take the quick walk home, grabbing my mail and such on my way up. After entering my apartment, I drop the mail on the counter and head straight for my closet to change, then to brush my teeth before hopping directly into bed.

I flop back against the pillow, sighing and shimmying under the covers. I rub my face, feeling my tiredness before turning to the side and trying to force sleep. I turn back and forth for about a half hour before succumbing.

 _14 years ago_

I take a final bite off my plate and place my fork and knife down. The rest of dinner has been rather quiet and awkward so I'm ready to get out of here.

"I'm done. Can I be excused?" I ask.

"Sure, sweetie." Dad says.

I nod and smile before getting up and grabbing my plate to take it to the kitchen. I clean my plate and put it in the dishwasher before exiting. I look pointedly at Kara as make my way to the stairs and up to my room, well our room.

I close the door and then opt for pacing instead of sitting down on the bed. A couple minutes later, Kara slowly opens the door.

"Hey." I say, stopping my pacing.

"Hi." Kara says, a little down. She pauses for a second before asking, "So why did you stop me from continuing to argue to use my powers?"

"I know how they are. There was nothing you could've said to change their mind. At least not tonight." I say.

"But I thought they were scientists. Aren't they taught to question and reevaluate? That's what we did on Krypton. The better argument won." Kara says.

"Yeah. On Earth, it doesn't always matter if your argument is better. And on a topic like this, I could tell that they weren't going to budge. At least not yet. My dad left it open to discuss again later, so for now it might be best to let them win today." I say.

"Ok. I'll trust you." Kara says.

"Thanks." I say, smiling to myself. After a slight pause, I can't help but ask, "So do you have all the abilities that Superman does? Like can you fly?"

I'm sure I'm grinning like an idiot but I can't help it. It would be so cool to fly.

"Yeah, or at least I should. Do you want to try it?" Kara says, grinning widely as well.

"Wait, what? But my parents said no powers." I ask, panic setting in at the thought of disobeying my parents.

Kara looks over to the window that leads out onto the lower roof. She grins mischievously before going over to the window and undoing the latch, then pushing the windows open. She then pulls herself out onto the roof. I rush over to the window.

"Wait. Kara." I say, getting onto the roof myself as she walks closer to the edge of the roof.

"It'll be fine." Kara says.

"I don't think this is a good idea. You're not supposed to, Kara." I say, following after her.

"Come on, Alex." Kara says. She then hovers off the roof, by just a couple feet. "It'll be so much fun."

Kara holds out her hand for me to grab. This isn't a good idea. I know this isn't a good idea. Why am I even considering this? Because how many kids get the opportunity to fly. That's why. I take her hand and she effortlessly tosses me around onto her back before flying into the sky.

The breeze rushes through my hair as I hold on tightly to this new, strange amazing girl. It feels wonderful outside, not cold but comfortable. The grin on my face is starting to hurt my cheeks.

"This is amazing!" I say to Kara.

"I know right?" Kara says.

"Let's see how close we can get." I say, looking down into the sea below.

Kara alters direction slightly to bring us closer to the water. She brings a hand into the water, sending up a misting spray to cloak us. The feeling is indescribable and exhilarating.

 _Present day_

My phone rings loudly, with the ringtone that is saying it's work. I bolt up in bed, grabbing my phone almost angrily. I take a quick short breath before answering.

"Danvers." I say.

"Agent Danvers. There's been an alien attack down at the Plastino Chemicals Plant down on the south side of town. Meet down here as soon as you can." Director Henshaw says.

"Yes, sir. Twenty minutes." I answer.

The call ends. I groan and rub my eyes, taking another deeper breath slowly. I open my eyes and look to see that it's 7:15. Wow I slept in for once. And, of course, it's on a morning where I've got to get to work crazy early.

Whatever. I complete a sped up version of my morning routine within five minutes and head out, grabbing my keys and belt. A thought comes to mind. I pull out my phone and call Kara.

"Hey, Alex. Is everything ok?" Kara says.

"Hey… Kara. There's been an alien attack down at the Plastino Chemicals Plant. We are still usually pretty unsure about what types of aliens we are looking for, abilities and such. Would you be interested in stopping by to help us out?" I ask, feeling like I'm rambling a little because I'm kind of unsure where we stand.

"Yeah. I'd love to help." Kara says.

"Cool. I'll meet you there." I say, hanging up the phone.

I smile slightly and exit the elevator into the garage. Mounting my bike, I start the engine and head out the site.

I pull up about 15 minutes later, going past the cop cars back towards the area in question. I park just off to the side when I see Hank.

"Agent Danvers." Hank says, eyeing me.

"Yes sir." I say.

"I must admit I was surprised you weren't already at the DEO when I called. I hope you weren't out drinking your life away again." Hank says, whispering the last part so no one else could hear. He starts walking and I follow after him.

"No, sir. I just am not used to my body not automatically waking up and I'd changed my alarm the night before because I'd stayed up very late and had the later shift. And… uh… You know, it's not really important but the point is things didn't really line up well and I guess I just needed some rest." I say, starting to explain but then realizing it sounded a little like an excuse, or overshare and simplified my answer.

"Fair enough." Hank says.

We walk around the corner to see Kara kneeling down and looking at the victim.

"What is she doing here?" Hank asks.

"I called her, sir. We hunt aliens. She is one. It's a resource we didn't have before." I say.

"What can I do to help?" Kara asks, walking over to us.

"Don't cause any oil spills." Hank says.

"Take a look around. Don't touch anything." I say, trying to ease the sting of Hank's words.

Hank walks away and I smile at Kara before following him down another hallway.

"Alex, this whole facility specializes in chemical manufacturing. Sodium hypochlorite, ammonium nitrate." Hank says, after we're away from Kara.

"Ingredients for a chemical bomb?" I ask, clarifying.

"Yeah. We need to find this alien, fast." Hank says, walking off.

I walk back to Kara, to see her looking closely at the spike protruding from the victim. I touch her shoulder to break her out of her trance.

"Hey we're heading back to the DEO. I'll meet you there?" I say.

"Yeah. I'm going to look around a bit more before I go." Kara says, before going back to study the victim again.

"Ok." I say, before walking back to my bike.

I start up my bike and begin the drive over to the DEO.

This could potentially be disastrous if this alien is able to make a bomb. I wonder what the bigger plan is behind all this. Is he acting alone? Hopefully Kara can give us some information on the species and that could give some insight into his possible motives.

I park in a space and head inside into the main control room. I see Director Henshaw looking up at the computer screen. He looks over at me as I approach.

"Agent Danvers." Hank says.

"Director Henshaw. Have we found out anything on the victim's assailant?" I ask.

"Not yet. We're trying to analyze these unique spines that were found in the body but it's taking some time to comb through the files of Fort Rozz." Hank says.

I feel a gust of wind at my back and turn around to see Kara walking into the room.

"You're looking for a Hellgrammite. That stinger you pulled out, I've seen it before on Krypton. My mother sent one of their kind to Fort Rozz." Kara says, walking toward the computer screen.

"According to the data we salvaged from the wreckage of Fort Rozz, there was a Hellgrammite prisoner." I say.

"What do we know about the species?" Hank asks.

"Not much." I say.

"It's basically a large insect but he can camouflage himself into any shape he wants. Humanoid included." Kara says.

"A giant insect trying to steal bomb-grade chemical compounds. This job never ceases to surprise." Hank says.

"You guys track him down, and I'll take him out, just like we did with Vartox." Kara says.

"Sure thing, Miss Danvers. If you can prove to us you can handle yourself without getting killed." Hank says.

Hank looks pointedly toward me. I don't like that look. It usually means that I'm about to do something I really don't want to do. He walks up to me and stands in front of me.

"You know what you have to do." Hank says, then walks away.

Oh boy. Now I know what he wants me to do. This is going to suck for Kara and we're still not on the best terms. Kara looks at me with a confused look on her face.

"Give me 5 minutes." I say.

I head to the locker room and change into my sparring clothes before returning to Kara.

"Follow me." I say before I start walking to the training chamber that I spent 5 months in when I first started. I feel Kara following me. For a couple minutes she remains quiet. After we enter the training room though that silence breaks.

"What are we doing in here?" Kara says.

"When I joined the DEO, I spent 12 hours a day for five straight months in this room. We need to know that you're prepared for everything you might face out there." I say.

"Alex, I can bend steel with my bare hands. And last week, I kicked Vartox's butt. I'm ready enough." Kara says. I touch the electronic pad to turn on the kryptonite emitters without her realizing.

"You really think so?" I say.

"Yeah. I do." Kara says.

I punch her square on the right cheek. Kara flies back onto the podium. The lights dim to a green hue as the lights turn on fully.

"How did you do that?" Kara says, laying on the podium.

"Kryptonite emitters. They're only at 18%. Not enough to permanently harm you, but enough to weaken you. Make this a fair fight." I say, stepping up onto the podium and starting to circle Kara as she gets up.

"I just found out last week that Kryptonite exists. Only the DEO knows it can hurt me." Kara says.

"You may have powers, Kara but so do most of the Fort Rozz aliens. Not only do they have the element of surprise, but they've also had time to master their abilities. We may not always know who our enemies are, so we need to be prepared to face anyone. Now, come at me." I say, putting my fists up to signal I'm ready to fight.

Kara throws a punch straight toward me, but I block and then step around push her forward. We circle a little while then she throws a wide swing which I duck below then block a second punch before grabbing her arm and forcing her to the ground.

"Your wind up leaves you open for a counterattack." I say, standing and hoping she is taking in what I'm saying and not letting her rage consume her.

I turn my back to her waiting for another attack. I hear her coming to attack again, I dodge her punch and grab onto her arm to flip her onto her back. She lets out a grunt as she slams into the ground.

"You are relying on your strength without technique. When you are facing a superior opponent, you need to use their strength against them." I say, explaining as she gets up again.

Kara runs toward me, grabs me and runs us off the platform and into the walk, pinning me before I shake her hands off and then grab her arm. I step to the side before twisting her arm up behind her back and pin her to the wall.

"All right, all right, enough. You made your point." Kara says.

I lean over the panel and shut off the emitters.

"Well, maybe I'm not DEO material after all. I think I know why my cousin prefers to work alone." Kara says before walking away as Hank enters the room.

"Miss Danvers…" Hank says.

"I hate that you made me do that." I say, putting my hands on my hips. As if Kara and I needed this.

"You should be thanking me. You may have just saved your sister's life." Hank says.

I walk off back to the locker room to change.

The Hellgrammite is a major threat and now that Hank doesn't think Kara is ready, I need to make sure that I have as much knowledge about it so we are prepared when we have a plan of attack. Heading back to my lab, I try to shake of this guilt about Kara.

I sit down at my desk and cross reference anything in the Fort Rozz files that has to do with Hellgrammites. Unfortunately, there was only the one Hellgrammite prisoner so it doesn't seem that much was known on them.

When nothing shows up there I turn to databases on insects from Earth. The problem with insects is that they are all so different from each other. It's not like cats where even though there are dozens of species, they all are generally the same. Who am I kidding, none of the information on animals from Earth is going to help anyway. Maybe I can check in on the evidence from the crime scene.

I walk across the hall to Agent Lee in his lab.

"Agent Lee. Is there anything you've been able to gather from the Hellgrammite evidence yet?" I ask.

"Agent Danvers. No, we are still pretty unsure of it's biology at the moment. Not everything has come in yet though. I just got in two more boxes of evidence to go through. I'm sure we'll find something." Lee says.

"You're right. Let me know when you find something." I say, leaving once again.

"Yes, ma'am." Lee says.

As I am about to open the door to my lab once again, a thought occurs to me. Since there isn't anything I can do about the Hellgrammite just yet, maybe I can work on that project. There is a project I've been working on for Kara. We found an A.I. program on Kara's ship and I've been trying to get it working again, with Hank's help. I want her to have a little piece of home. I head for the room that we are setting up. It's a life-size hologram projection that is her mother. I remember seeing her face last week when she saw it from the Kryptonian box. I know it's almost there. There is just something that is distorting the signal of the hologram. Walking into the room, I kneel on the floor to access the panel that leads to the hologram projector. I look at the linking of the wires. It's strange trying to merge the Kryptonian tech into something useable on Earth. Trying many different combinations is kind of my only move at this point.

Ok, let's try the green into the orange and the blue into the white and the red into the yellow. I close the panel and walk over to the control on the wall. I hold my breath and close my eyes before pressing the button to turn it on.

"Hello. I am Alura of planet Krypton. What would you like to know?" A voice sounds from the stage.

I open my eyes, surprised and exhale.

"Ha! It worked! Finally. Oh man, I've got to tell Kara." I say out loud.

"Kara Zor-El of Krypton. Daughter to Alura and Zor-El." The hologram says.

"Thank you." I say, shutting it down.

I smile widely. Man, I've got to tell Kara. She's going to be so excited. Unless she's still angry. I need to apologize. I don't mean to keep breaking her spirit. But I might have taken it a little too far this time, even if it was at Hank's request.

I exit the DEO and walk the couple blocks over to Kara's apartment. I knock on the door then wait, but hear voices coming from inside and then footsteps that sounds like Kara's stomping feet. The door opens. Kara is standing there in her Supergirl costume with a not too happy look on her face.

"Can we talk?" I ask.

I then look into her apartment to see Winn and James in her living room. Really? She told them. Kara turns back into her apartment.

"Hey, guys, thanks for everything. My sister and I need to talk. I'll see you tomorrow?" Kara says.

"Yeah, sure." James says, walking towards the door.

"Yeah." Winn says, quickly making for the door and stepping past me after I step into her apartment.

"Do you really think it was a good idea for you to tell your friends who you are?" I ask, after the door closes behind them.

"Yes, because they're my friends. I'm allowed to have friends, aren't I? Or is that also against DEO rules?" Kara says, as I pace.

"I didn't come here to fight, I came here to apologize. For how I handled things back at the DEO. Maybe it wasn't the right way to go about it, but… you have got to understand I was only looking out for you." I say, approaching her.

"You always have looked out for me, since the day my cousin dropped me off at your house." Kara says.

"Do you remember how scared you were of the popcorn maker?" I say, trying to make light.

"Yeah. You crawled under the table next to me. Showed me the melted butter and sprinkled the tiny, white crystals… But I'm not a scared little girl anymore." Kara says.

"Yeah, but I will always be your big sister. That doesn't just suddenly change because what, last week you decided to fight criminals." I say.

"Well, last week I found out you don't work in a lab. You're out there fighting, risking your life, and I still trust you. I … I know I have a lot to learn. And James and Winn believe in me, but… I need your faith, Alex." Kara says.

She pauses to look at me closely.

"More than that 's', more than that cape… more than anyone's." Kara says, driving the point home.

It's definitely not about trust. Of course, I trust her. I just really want to protect her. And every time she's out there is a time that she could get hurt and a time where I might not be able to protect her if I'm not with her. I'm about to answer when my phone rings. I look at her before answering the phone.

"Danvers … I'll be right there. They need me back at the DEO. I'll call you." I answer, before exiting Kara's apartment.

I get on my bike and drive back to the DEO. Time to push away thoughts of my fight with Kara for more dangerous issues. Parking my bike, I walk back into the main control room up to the wall of computers where I see Hank staring at a map.

"What's the news on the Hellgrammite?" I ask, approaching.

"We've confirmed six similar attacks on chemical plants across the country over the past year. He's been making his way to National City with enough chemical components to build a weapon of mass destruction." Hank says.

Agent Lee walks into the room from his lab.

"I'm not so sure about that, sir. The tests we ran on his blood indicate his alien DNA isn't carbon-based like humans. It has a chlorine foundation." Agent Lee says.

"Each of those facilities stored confiscated DDT, which is a chlorine pesticide." I say.

"Well, if he's not building a weapon, what does he need DDT for?" Hank asks.

I think for a second before it hits me.

"He's eating it." I say.

"Right. Given his home planet's atmospheric conditions, DDT would be the closest thing on Earth he could find to food." Agent Lee says.

"Since DDT was banned, the government has been destroying remaining stockpiles. His food source is shrinking." I say.

"Well, if this thing is hungry, let's buy him some dinner." Hank says.

"Yes, sir. Do we have any DDT we can use to lure him?" I ask.

"No, but there is a nearby plant that was scheduled to have their barrels picked up for destruction about 20 miles east of the city. Agent Danvers, get a strike team together and make a plan for 2300 tonight. That gives us less than two hours. Go ahead and make the call to the plant now to let them know we'll be taking care of it for them." Hank says, before exiting towards the locker room.

"Yes, sir." I say, before I pull out my phone. "Hey, Vasquez, what's the phone number of the chemical plant to the east of the city? I think it's called Silver Fern Chemical Inc." I say.

"One second. Ok it's 805-965-7513." Vasquez says.

"Alright, thanks. Also, I need you to set up a work order to verify that we'll be confiscating their DDT and disposing of it." I say, writing the number down.

"Yes, ma'am." Vasquez says, I walk over to my lab.

Sitting down at my desk, I pick up the phone and call the company.

"Silver Fern Chemical. How can help you?" The receptionist asks.

"This is Special Agent Alex Danvers with the FBI. I need to talk with whoever is in charge of the DDT located at your facility." I say.

"Hold on. I'll transfer your call." The receptionist says.

While the phone is on hold, I turn my comms.

"Attention, Agents Smith, Rodriguez, Taylor and Thompson. Meet in the debriefing room in 15 minutes for an assignment tonight." I say, hearing four responses within about 30 seconds. I open up my email and see the information associated with the work order that Vasquez set up. Then I hear something from the phone.

"Hello. This is Mark Phillips, the site manager. How can I help you Agent Danvers?" A man responds.

"Mr. Phillips, I have been tasked with picking up the DDT located at your facility and moving it to a secure location to be disposed of safely." I say.

"Of course, can I just get the work order number, spelling of your name, field office location, boss's name and unit phone number to verify for safety? And also, a phone number to contact you back at." Mark says.

"Yes, sir. Work order number is C49T715, my name Alex A-L-E-X Danvers D-A-N-V-E-R-S, field office location is Los Angeles, boss's name is Hank H-A-N-K Henshaw H-E-N-S-H-A-W, and unit phone number is 805-962-7411. And when you've verified please call me back at 805-962-7776." I say, slowing down during the phone numbers and important info so that he could write.

"Alright. Thank you, Agent Danvers. I will get back to you as soon as I've verified." Mark says.

"Thank you." I say, hanging up the phone.

I head out to the debriefing room to meet the other agents. I approach the room and all the agents are standing around the table. A large monitor is behind them. I enter the room and they all straighten up a little bit.

"Ok we will be going on a mission meant to lure out the alien that attacked Plastino Chemicals. It feeds on DDT so we will be heading out to a nearby chemical plant and confiscating their supply. This alien should be able to smell it once we leave the location, so staying alert is important. We'll be taking a Warthog and a Mule. Thompson and Smith will drive the Mule, which will be transporting the DDT after we leave the plant. Taylor and Rodriguez, you'll be in the Warthog with Director Henshaw and myself, trailing behind the Mule to protect the cargo. Be aware that this alien shoots thin spikes and is dangerous. Prepare accordingly. Any questions?" I ask, then stare around the room. They all look between each other and then shake their heads.

"Good. We leave at 2215 from bay C. Dismissed." I say, walking out of the debriefing room and back to my lab.

I sit down at my desk when my phone rings.

"Danvers." I answer, picking up the phone.

"Agent Danvers. Mark from Silver Fern Chemicals. I've verified your credentials and everything is in order. When can we expect you for the pickup?" Mark asks.

"We'll be there at 11pm." I say.

"Alright we'll have it all ready for you. Thank you, ma'am." Mark says.

"Thank you." I say, hanging up the phone.

I look down at my watch. It's ten o'clock now. I get up and head to the armory to grab a little extra protection with the other agents for the mission and then proceed toward bay C. As I enter, I see Hank loading up the Warthog with some heavier weapons. I secure the weapons on my person and walk up to him.

"Sir." I say.

"Danvers. Is everything ready to go?" Hank asks.

"Yes, sir. Paperwork is confirmed with the chemical plant and the agents for the assignment are just finishing getting ready. We'll be ready to roll out in 5." I say.

"Good." Hank says, going back to loading the Warthog.

The other agents enter the bay and Thompson and Smith head towards the Mule, which is a large flatbed truck. I walk around the side of the Warthog and claim shotgun, opposite Hank while Rodriguez and Taylor claim the backseat.

"Everyone ready?" Hank says, more towards Thompson and Smith.

"Yes, sir." Thompson says, who is driving the Mule.

"Alright, let's roll out." Hank says, getting into the Warthog and starting the car.

Hank pulls out in front of Thompson and we make the uneventful drive to the chemical plant.

I hope this works. I can't imagine him not being able to smell the DDT. However, him actually risking going after it is another story. It'll be a large enough amount that he shouldn't be able to pass it up, considering how much his food supply is dwindling. He started over on the east coast and now he's running out of plants that still carry it. Hopefully he's as desperate as he seems. We'll have to be careful though. He seems like an adept fighter and we're not really sure what he's weak against either. I wish there had been more information in his file.

Hank pulls up to the Silver Fern Chemical gate where a security guard waits.

"Hank Henshaw, FBI. My agent, Alex Danvers, called earlier about us transporting your supply of DDT for you." Hank says, flashing his FBI badge.

"Yes, sir. One second… Alright you're good to go. You're going to head all the way down this road and make a right. At the end of that road the site manager will be waiting to help you load it up." The guard responds after looking at his computer screen.

"Thank you, sir." Hank says, pulling forward and following the directions the guard gave.

Hank comes to a stop on the side of the road as we approach the destination and Thompson drives closer to make it easier to load the barrels. We all get out of our respective cars and approach a man of average height and average build, balding but not terribly. Brown hair, green eyes and a full beard about 2 inches in length.

"Hi, there. I'm Mark Phillips. I spoke earlier with someone." Mark says, looking around at everyone.

"Yes, sir. Special Agent Alex Danvers. Thank you for getting back to me so quickly." I say, stepping forward.

"Sure thing. I know this stuff can be used to make some dangerous things. I'm thankful you guys are willing to take care of it for us." Mark says.

"We are happy to." I say.

"I just need you to sign this and you're all set to load it up and haul it away." Mark says, handing a clipboard with a pen to me.

"Sure." I say, signing the line at the bottom before handing it back to him.

"Alright. Let's get these barrels loaded." Mark says, placing the clipboard down on a table nearby.

Mark and the four agents load the 12 barrels into the back of the Mule within ten minutes.

"It's been a pleasure guys, and gal. Good luck." Mark says, shaking everyone's hands.

I smile and nod before going back to the Warthog.

"Alright everyone, remember to stay alert. Thompson and Smith just drive back the way we came towards the DEO. Chances are he'll hit us before we make it back." Hank says, over the comms so that Thompson and Smith hear as well.

I'm keeping an eye on the sky and the buildings as we exit. Then we start the drive back. We've been driving for about fifteen minutes and we start driving over a bridge.

"Greyhound, this is Trap One, no sign of the hostile." Thompson says.

"Copy, Trap One. Stay alert. Let's hope this movable feast is too hard to resist." Hank says.

"Given the Hellgrammite's superior sense of smell, he should've sensed the DDT in the atmosphere by now." I say, starting to wonder where this guy is.

"Then where the hell is he?" Hank says.

The Hellgrammite jumps from out of nowhere under the bridge and lands on the barrels in the back of the Mule.

"Trap One, the target is on your vehicle!" Hank says.

I lean out the window and shoot at the Hellgrammite. Hank is attempting the same. None of the shots seem to be connecting. He's got some Predator jaws going on. He fires a spike toward us. The spike pierces the windshield and stabs Taylor in the backseat who yells in pain. I look back to him and then back toward the alien who is gone from the back of the Mule. But then I hear a clang on the roof and look up. Spikes shower through the roof in the backseat and I attempt to shoot him through the roof. But then a spike pierces my right thigh and I yell out in pain, trying to breathe through it. The Hellgrammite rips open the roof and roars at me before pulling me out through the new hole in the roof.

"Alex!" Hank yells, as the Hellgrammite jumps away from the convoy with me over his shoulder.

I feel a little too weak and unsure of how far off the ground we are to fight back. Everything is moving so fast I can't really tell where we are going. I'll wait until he slows so that I can get my bearings.The Hellgrammite does eventually land but by the time he does, I'm really starting to feel weak from blood loss. I'll save my strength for a time when I really need it. He drops me on the ground and I grit my teeth as the wind is knocked out of me. I breathe a couple times before he grabs the collar of my shirt and drags me into a warehouse. Holding onto my injured leg, I can do nothing but let him drag me until he stops. I look up to see a woman.

"Where is the Kryptonian?" The woman says. Wait a minute. She looks familiar.

"She didn't show. But this is one of the human agents. I'm hoping it's enough to keep you off my back." The Hellgrammite says before walking away.

The woman hunches down onto her knees.

"I've been waiting quite some time to get one of you alive." The woman says.

Where do I know her from? I've definitely seen her. More than once. Maybe the blood loss is obstructing my brain. I wish Kara was he- Wait, that's it. It's Kara's mom. What was it… Alura.

"You're bleeding. Human beings are so fragile. It's amazing any of you make it out of infancy." The woman says.

"Alura…" I say.

"How do you know that name?" The woman says.

"I saw a hologram of you. A message from Krypton. It was on the ship that brought your daughter to Earth." I say, feeling pretty smug.

"Twins were rare on Krypton. When we were children, Alura and I took great pleasure in confusing our parents." The woman explained and I understood.

"You're Alura's sister." I say.

"I am General Astra. And what is your name?" Astra says, looking down at me.

I refuse to answer.

"You are very brave. Braver than most of your race." Astra says.

"There is no reason to kill me, or anyone in National City." I say.

"Is that what you think? That my goal is simply to kill humans? You are so very wrong. I am here to save you all." Astra says.

"Supergirl will find me." I say.

Astra turns her head east before looking down at me with a glare. Then she turns and walks to another part of the warehouse. If only I could get up. The stinger must have a numbing agent in it as well. I look around to see if there is anything that can help me but then Kara walks in through the door that the Hellgrammite had dragged me in through earlier.

"Alex." Kara says after she sees me.

"No! Get out of here, it's a trap." I say, trying to warn her.

Astra flies in and punches Kara square in the jaw, sending her flying into some boxes.

"It's been a long time, little one. Look how you've grown. So beautiful." Astra says.

"But you… you died. When Krypton exploded… everyone died. You died… Aunt Astra." Kara says, obviously reeling from the realization.

"Except I wasn't on Krypton when it perished. I was a prisoner aboard Fort Rozz. Did your mother not tell you? How she sent me away? Banished her own blood? Imprisoned me for speaking the truth while she told only lies?" Astra asks.

"But why did she send you to Fort Rozz?" Kara asks.

"For being a hero. For trying to save our world." Astra says.

"I remember so many nights, sitting on your lap, listening as you taught me all the names of the stars." Kara says.

"Then let me educate you once again, dear niece. Your alliance with the humans is misplaced. Do not stand against me. I let one planet die, I will not do so again." Astra says.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing." Kara says.

Astra hits Kara through a wall into another room where their fight continues. I can't really see anymore. I've got to try and get help here. Astra is clearly a superior opponent. Kara will need help. I look around and see my belt which must've fallen off when the Hellgrammite dragged me in here. I flip myself over and use my forearms to pull my body along until I'm close enough to grab the radio on my belt.

"Greyhound, this is Trap Leader, over. Greyhound, do you copy?" I ask over the radio.

Something grabs my shirt in two spots and lifts me off the ground, throwing me into a steel fence nearby. I move to try and get up, but the hands grab me again and pull me up to stand before shoving me into the steel fence again. It's the Hellgrammite.

"It's nothing personal. Just every species has a will to survive." The Hellgrammite says, revealing a spike from its wrist.

"Know what most species also have?" I ask, attempting to distract.

He tilts his head and raises his eyebrows in a silent question. I swing my leg in between his legs as hard as I can.

"Those." I say.

He groans and then angrily tries to stab me with his spike, but I dodge. Then grab his arm and shove his own spike into his chest. He makes this strange sound, kind of like a cricket, and I shove him to the ground before leaning back into the steel fence for support.

After taking a breath, now that I'm on my feet I limp towards the direction where I can still hear Kara and Astra fighting. I step around the corner and see Astra attempt to punch Kara but Kara grabs her arm and tosses her through the wall on the far side of the room.

I continue to limp toward Kara. She turns around and sees me.

"Hey!" I say, falling into a hug with Kara. She doesn't let go for a couple seconds before pulling back and holding onto each of my arms.

"Are you okay?" Kara asks.

Astra blows freeze breath at us, blowing Kara and I off our feet.

"I saw on the news that you haven't quite mastered that one yet." Astra says.

"Stop. Stay where you are." Hank says, entering through the main door. Astra laughs menacingly before flying to Hank and lifting him into the air by his throat.

"You possess no weapon that can harm me." Astra says.

"You are so wrong." Hank says, pulling out a kryptonite knife and then stabs Astra in the forearm.

Astra cries out in pain and drops Hank. She holds her arm before turning around to look at Kara and I on the ground. Astra flies through the roof, breaking the ceiling in her way. Hank stands up as we lay there still trying to recover.

"Any more family I should know about?" Hank asks.

Kara and I exhale at the same time, just exhausted. After she catches her breath, Kara stands and leans down to pull me to my feet. She throws my arm around her shoulder and helps me to one of the Warthogs. My injured leg seems to finally be getting over the numbness of the Hellgrammite's spike, so for the most part I'm able to walk just fine. Kara steps back and looks like she's about to fly back to the DEO.

"Kara." I say.

She looks at me with a questioning look.

"Will you ride back with me?" I ask, smiling gently.

She smiles and nods before getting into the Warthog on the other side.

"You guys strapped in back there?" Hank asks, getting into the driver's seat.

"Yes, sir." I say, before leaning onto Kara's shoulder which she shifts to wrap around me and pull me close. I close my eyes for what I think is only a couple of minutes but then Kara is gently shaking me awake at the DEO.

Kara helps me into the medical bay of the DEO and leaves me with the doctor for a few minutes. I know that I'm mostly healed and there isn't much to be done except wait for it to heal but I let him run a couple tests to make sure that all my vitals are good and whatnot. He tests the reflexes of my injured leg, wraps my leg up, and then he pulls an icepack out of the refrigerator to place on my leg to help with the swelling.

"Okay." I say, thinking that he's done more than enough.

Kara walks around the corner to check on me and smiles.

"I wish I had your healing powers." I say, making light.

"You took down the Hellgrammite with no help from me." Kara says.

"Yeah, well, you were a little busy." I say.

I pause and we look at each other, knowingly.

"I can't even imagine what you must be feeling right now. I mean, after all this time, finding out you still have family." I say.

"You're my family. My aunt… we have to stop her. I have to be ready for her next time. Show me how to fight. Train me to be as good as you." Kara says.

"I'll make you even better." I say, smiling.

"On Krypton, I remember Aunt Astra and my mother always arguing." Kara says, walking over to the bench I was sitting on and taking a seat beside me.

"Like sisters do." I say.

"And when I asked my mother why they could never get along, she said that it was because Astra didn't have faith in people." Kara says.

I nod at Kara's words and think about how they apply to our own relationship.

"You wanted to know if I have faith in you. I do. I always have. When you first came to live with us, my parents told me that you would be sad and fragile, having just lost your world, your parents, friends. But you never let that loss diminish your light. You've always had the heart of a hero, Kara, way before you put on that 's'." I say, smiling and gesturing towards the crest on her chest.

I remember what I was going to try and tell Kara earlier. So, I move to get up off the bench and make some faces as I do so.

"What are you doing? You need to rest." Kara says, as I attempt to stand.

"There's something that I need to show you. Something I've been working on." I say.

Limping slowly, I guide Kara out of the medical bay down the hall to the project.

"Your cousin has a base, it's a fortress, I guess, in the Arctic. Now, we don't know much about it, but we do know it's a place that he's been able to commune with his Kryptonian ancestors." I say.

"How, they're all gone." Kara says, confused. We stop walking once we get to the door with a special made keypad which will only accept Kara's handprint.

"They're no longer alive, yes." I say before gesturing to the keypad. "The door will only open for you."

Kara smiles before placing her hand on keypad. The door opens and she walks in. The hologram of Kara's mother is there as we walk in.

"Mom…" Kara says, smiling.

"Hello, Kara" The hologram says.

"Wait… I don't understand." Kara says, turning to me.

"The message we found in your pod, it was part of an interactive artificial intelligence program, that's culled from living memory. It's not really her, but…" I say, explaining.

"Kara, I have been programmed to offer you assistance here on Earth." The hologram continues. Kara turns back to me.

"Thank you, Alex." Kara says and I smile.

"I'll let you two, talk." I say, walking away.

I head out of the room and back towards my lab. I see Hank on my way there.

"Director Henshaw, thank you for helping me set up that room." I say, stopping in the hallway.

"It's the least I can do for Supergirl." Hank says.

"I won't tell her you called her that." I say, smirking.

"I'd appreciate it." Hank says, before walking away.

I smile before going on to my lab. Sitting down at my desk I open my computer to look through the evidence files on the Hellgrammite. There has never been such detailed information on an alien before. Usually we are able to capture the Fort Rozz aliens before too much damage is caused and also before much can be learned about them. After they are captured, they aren't too forthcoming about their lesser known strengths and weaknesses and the like. So, this is pretty incredible. We've got evidence from two crime scenes and I've got a personal view into fighting one.

There is a knock on the door. I look toward the door and see Kara standing there.

"Hey, you should be getting home so you can rest." Kara says, looking worried.

"Yeah. I just wanted to make sure that I was prepared in case I ever faced another Hellgrammite so I was going through all the new evidence files on what we've learned." I say.

"You're such a nerd." Kara says, laughing.

My cheeks flush with embarrassment. Kara just continues laughing before walking over and hugging me from behind. I just smile and wrap my arm on top of hers.

"Alright, you. You're going home, no matter how into alien files you are. It's midnight. Come on." Kara says, pulling back and then grabbing my shirt collar and pulling on it gently.

"Yes, mom." I say, smirking.

I shut down my computer and stand gently up with a groan. Kara holds my arm to steady me.

"Thanks." I say, smiling gently.

"Can I trust you to be able to drive home or should I just fly you home?" Kara asks, poking fun.

My cheeks flush again and I glare at Kara. She grins widely.

"Look, you're injured. You always protect me. Now it's my turn to protect you. And in your injured state you can't ride your motorcycle." Kara says, taking on a serious tone.

"Yeah, I guess I can't drive my bike today." I say.

"Alright, come here." Kara says, opening her arms with a huge grin.

I limp towards Kara and wrap my arms around her neck.

"My hero." I say, pretending to swoon.

Kara laughs before picking up my legs and bursting off the ground, flying me toward my apartment.

A/N: I did some research into the protocol surrounding verifying FBI agents and such but it probably isn't entirely correct. The phone numbers are just random numbers in the area that National City is supposed to be (California, which was news to me) and I used a real company for the chemical plant name but obviously I don't own anything and just wanted to create some realness. And last but not least, the names of the DEO vehicles, i.e. Warthog and Mule, were made up and slightly based off Halo. Haha. I'll probably continue doing that in the future but I'll make sure that when a new term is first introduced that I explain what it is. Also now that some more mundane things about Alex's routine are established I'll skip those in the future.

Hope you all enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 _14 years ago_

Kara and I fly back toward the house after probably the most interesting half hour of my life. We descend slowly.

"You got land quietly. We can't get caught." I whisper into Kara's ear as we get close to the ground.

"Ok." Kara whispers back, landing gently.

Kara lets go of my legs so that I can place them on the ground and then I let go of her neck. I grab her shoulder gently and she looks back at me. I bring a finger to my lips, to reinforce the need for silence and then walk in front of her. I ascend the stairs of our front porch carefully. They are recently built so thankfully they don't creak. Once I reach the front door I grasp the knob slowly and hold my breath. I pull the door toward me first to soften the noises I'm about to make. I pull out my house key and slowly insert it into the lock and then turn it. As it turns fully into the unlock position I hear the faintest of clicks and then turn the key back before pulling it out, then returning it to my pocket. I hear Kara breathing quietly behind me. I turn the knob and don't hear it make any noise as the door moves past its lower barrier. Wow, that couldn't have gone any better. Once the door is open enough, I wave to urge Kara into the house first. She moves past me and then I enter, too. I turn around, closing and locking the door as quietly as I opened it. All the lights in the house are off which is a good sign. I turn back towards the stairs and as Kara is about to start her ascent up the stairs, the lights flip on.

My whole body tenses and I look toward the light in the dining room that has just come on. Both of my parents are standing there.

"You both are in so much trouble." Dad says, crossing his arms.

Kara and I look at each other before looking back to them. He pulls an arm from its crossed position and motions toward the dining room table. I walk toward the table, defeated. I was so sure we had made it. I feel Kara following behind me. I sit down in my previous position at dinner and Kara assumes her previous place as well. Both my parents walk over to the table, but they don't sit down. Well, this definitely won't be good.

"Do you have any idea how lucky you are? Anyone could have seen you. Kara, the rules about using your powers are for your protection." Dad says. I look over to Kara and see her hanging her head down.

"I'm so disappointed in you, Alex." Mom says, looking at me.

"It wasn't her idea. I made her do it." Kara says, trying to defend me.

"That's not the point, Kara. You're new to Earth, you're still learning. But you're her big sister now. It's your job to make sure she doesn't put herself in danger." Mom says, first to Kara and then redirecting toward me again.

There is a knock at the door and my parents exchange looks.

"I'm sorry, Mom." I say, unable to think of what else to say.

"Girls, go upstairs. Now!" Dad says, I get up quickly and Kara follows suit.

Kara and I head for the stairs and start to ascend.

"Kara, don't you dare user your super-hearing. Alex!" Mom says.

"She won't, Mom." I say, looking back at her before turning back to head upstairs.

Kara is almost at the top of the stairs and I jog up the stairs quickly. As I reach the top I hear a deep voice.

"Dr. Danvers, I'd like to speak with you and your husband." The man says.

Kara opens the door to our room and I rush inside, closing the door behind me. I start pacing, unable to sit down.

"Alex, what's going on?" Kara asks, sitting on her bed.

"I don't know. There was a strange man at the front door." I say, continuing to pace.

Kara is quiet for a second. I look over at her, during my pacing, to see her concentrating. I stop pacing and turn toward her.

"Don't. We don't need to get in any more trouble tonight." I say, harshly.

"Sorry." Kara says, quietly.

"It's fine. I'm just worried." I say.

Kara nods and stares back at me, worry written on her features as well.

"It'll be ok. My parents will handle it." I say.

As much as Kara's super-hearing could come in handy in finding out what's going on I know we should respect my mom's wishes, since the only reason this is probably happening is because we did the opposite earlier. This sure has been a hell of a first day on Earth for Kara.

 _Present Day_

My eyes flicker open to see my ceiling. I look over to see my clock reading 4:57 AM. I lay in bed for a couple minutes before it goes off at 5 on the dot. Hitting the off button, I get out of bed and go through my morning routine.

I haven't been allowed at work for the past two days because of my leg. I would've gone in when Hank wasn't there but he has disabled my pass to get in, which he knows is the only way of keeping me out even with injuries. But now it's active again so I can go in today and I'm so excited. I have been getting a little cabin fever the last two days because Kara has been too busy to hang out as well. Thankfully I was able to spend the past couple days thinning out my backlog of books to read. I rarely take time to read so I'm thankful that I had some waiting for this occasion. I finished off 3 books, one thriller, one mystery and one fantasy, in the past 2 days. I read a lot for work so I like to keep my casual readings completely different from what I read at work.

My phone buzzes in my pocket.

I'm at Noonan's if you need to talk. – Kara's text reads.

I tried calling Kara last night for a sister night but she never answered.

Ok I'll be there in 15. – I reply back.

I finish getting ready and head out the door. Noonan's is only a couple blocks away from my apartment. It's about halfway between here and Catco. I opt for walking since it's so close.

The city is already bustling with people around town. It's five past seven when I walk into the Noonan's Café. A waitress is talking with Kara and picks up an empty plate while placing another plate, with a sticky bun, on her table as I walk up.

"I'm an alien." Kara says, to the waitress. The waitress laughs and walks away. I give her a pointed look.

"Hi." Kara says, after an awkward pause sits between us.

"Hey, are you okay? I called you like a bunch of times last night. Where were you?" I ask before sitting down and Kara cuts into the new sticky bun that was placed in front of her.

"I think I fell asleep last night. Yesterday was a pretty long day." Kara says. I feel someone walk up behind me.

"Morning! Hey." James says.

"Hey. Uh, what are you doing here?" Kara says, beaming up at James. She hasn't looked at someone like that in a while.

"Oh, this is the only place that makes this really hard to find drink I like… tea." James says, sending Kara into a fit of laughter. I raise an eyebrow, watching the exchange.

"That's really funny. That's funny. Um, Alex, you remember, um James Olsen? My friend from work." Kara says, gesturing between James and I.

"Yeah." I say.

"How's the covert alien hunting business?" James says, whispering as he leans down over the table.

"Not as covert as we would prefer." I say, somewhat annoyed and not hiding it at all, looking at Kara.

"I didn't tell him." Kara says, looking worried.

"Look, it's okay. I can be trusted with a big secret." James says, defending Kara. Like seriously, how does he know if Kara didn't tell him?

"Well. I hope you'll extend the same courtesy to my sister." I say, pointedly.

"Always… Meet up back at the office?" James says, before asking Kara.

"Yes." Kara says.

"Great seeing you, Alex." James says before leaving.

"Hmm." I say, smiling before giving Kara a sideways glance.

"What?" Kara asks.

"You like Jimmy Olsen." I say, matter-of-factly.

"Stop it. Um, first of all, he prefers James." Kara says.

"Oh. Ok." I say, nonchalantly.

"Second, we're just friends. Just friends." Kara says.

"Please. You were looking at him like he was one of your sticky buns. And seriously, you have got to stop telling people who you really are. The less people know about Supergirl, the better." I say.

"Right…" Kara says.

Just then the tv plays a story that Catco confirms Superman and Supergirl are related in the background. I turn around as I hear the newscaster broadcast this line to see that my ears weren't lying to me. I turn around and just look at her, disbelieving.

"Kara…" I say, disapproving.

Kara looks down at her sticky bun, acting like I'm not there.

"Cat Grant." A server announces from the bar.

I look back for a split second and then turn back towards Kara to see her sticky bun has vanished. Kara is starting to stand, grabbing her bag and phone.

"Sorry, Alex. I've got to get to work. Call you later." Kara says, obviously trying to get away from me to avoid scolding.

"Yeah, sure." I say rolling my eyes before getting up and exiting Noonan's back toward my apartment.

Well I guess I'll just see her later. My phone buzzes.

I need you at work early. – A text from Hank reads.

Yes, sir. I'll be there in an hour. – I responds.

Oh well, I was about to head there even though I'm not scheduled until noon. I can only guess this is about Supergirl. After making it back to my apartment, I stop back at my apartment and switch out my casual bag for my work bag before heading down to the garage.

About 45 minutes later I'm pulling into a parking spot at the DEO desert base.

I walk into the main room.

"Agent Danvers." Hank says.

"Yes, sir." I say, preparing myself for a scolding.

"What is going on with your sister? How did Catco find out the relationship between them? I told her to keep a low profile. Now that she's working with us, she has to know that exposing herself risks exposing us as well. What could she have been thinking?" Hank says, I feel like he was mostly just thinking out loud but I knew it was partially directed at me. The curse of being Supergirl's keeper.

"Yes, sir. I was just as shocked when I saw the news. I tried to find out what happened but she rushed away for 'work'. I will be talking to her again. Apologies, sir." I say.

"See that you do. Now go check in with the doctor quick, just so he can clear you." Hank says, walking away.

"Yes, sir." I say, heading to the med bay.

"Hey, Eugene. I need you to clear me." I say after stepping in the door.

"Hey, Agent Danvers. Alright. Take a seat up here and we'll get you cleared." Eugene says, patting the paper covered bench.

I lift myself up onto the bench and patiently wait while he grabs supplies.

"Any lingering pain in your thigh?" Eugene asks, laying down his supplies on a nearby table.

"No, sir." I say, he pulls a rolling chair over and sits near me.

"Any issues moving around? Walking? Jogging? Etc.?" Eugene asks, grabbing a reflex hammer and hitting one knee, which gives an expected response.

"No, sir." I say, he hits the other knee, which gives the expected response as well.

"Any feelings of dizziness, nausea or lightheadedness?" Eugene asks, putting the reflex hammer down and pulling on a pair of gloves.

"No, sir." I say, he grabs each side of my injured thigh and squeezes a couple of times in varying positions.

"Any muscle aches, joint pains, or other physical discomforts?" Eugene asks, picking up a tongue depressor and a small flashlight.

"No, sir." I say, before opening my mouth.

"Any headaches or blurred vision?" Eugene asks, turning on the flashlight and placing the tongue depressor on my tongue and taking a look around before removing the tongue depressor from my mouth.

"No, sir." I say, closing my mouth.

"Alright, any questions for me?" Eugene asks, taking the flashlight and shining them in my eyes, checking the reflex of my corneas.

"No, sir." I say.

Eugene picks up an otoscope and looks in both of my ears before pulling back.

"Alright, Agent Danvers please just read the sixth line of that chart on the closet door over there." Eugene says, I look over to the door.

" P." I say, reading the letters.

"Excellent. You're good to go, Agent Danvers. Here's your slip. Just drop it off with your commanding officer to be cleared for fieldwork. Have a nice day." Eugene says, giving a quick smile before looking back to his computer.

I exit the room with slip in hand and head to the locker room to change. Feels good to be cleared again. But now what am I going to do about Kara? It feels like every week there is something going on with her. I finish changing and exit back into the main room again.

I'm looking around for Hank when I hear him down one of the halls, sounding like he's headed my way.

"What's next? A book deal? A reality show? Keeping up with the Kryptonians?" Hank asks, they're both walking my way and Hank is obviously frustrated but he walks on past me while Kara stops next to me.

"So, he's mad?" Kara asks.

"It's hard to tell with him. Why did you give that interview?" I ask, trying to continue our conversation from earlier and get to the bottom of what happened.

"At first, I did it for James." Kara says.

"Oh, that explains it." I say, rolling my eyes.

"But I also did it for me. I'm still trying to figure out what Supergirl means. Guess I just thought talking to Ms. Grant would give me some perspective." Kara says.

"Everybody wonders who they are at some point in their lives. You're gonna figure it out, Kara. You always have." I say.

"Sir, we have a code grey. It's coming from the NCH." Vasquez says.

"Looks like a multiple car collision." I say, walking up to look at the car crash up on the screen.

"Highway Patrol officers and medical personnel are en route. No sign of alien activity. We're clear." Vasquez says, Hank walks up to look at the screen as well.

"Run a thermal scan to be sure. And Miss Danvers, next time you're thinking of talking to the press…" Hank says, first continuing to look at the screen before turning around to where Kara was standing. I look as well but Kara is gone.

"She's excited. It's her first pile-up." I say, trying to contain my laughter.

Within a couple minutes, Kara arrives at the scene and we get to see her rescue to bus driver. But after Kara sets her down on the gurney, Kara is hit by a beam. A man in a metal suit stands a couple car lengths away and they talk to each other before the man attacks with more beams. In the battle his suit is damaged and he is forced to flee.

I look toward Hank, who looks like he somewhat knows the man, and Vasquez is pulling up all known information on the escaped villain.

"Who was that?" I ask.

Kara flies back into the room and lands next to me.

"Reactron. At least that's what the Daily Planet colorfully dubbed him when he showed up in Metropolis a few years back." Hank says.

"Reactron? That's kind of a stupid name. Who named him that?" Kara says, scrunching her nose.

"Jimmy Olsen." Hank says, I hold back a smirk.

"Oh. So, who is this guy really?" Kara asks.

"Unknown. He remains at large after a string of very public fights with your cousin. Neither of them ever came out on top. And no one knows why he's so obsessed with killing Superman." Hank says.

"So, what's the plan? How do we stop him?" Kara asks.

"We don't." Hank says. I know this isn't going to go over well with Kara, but I know exactly what Hank is going to say.

"So, what are you saying? We just sit back and do nothing?" Kara asks.

"Reactron, whoever he is, is human. Which means this case falls outside the DEO's jurisdiction." Hank says.

"This man flies and shoots nuclear fireballs! How is that not extra-normal?" Kara says.

"He's using advanced biomedical tech. Man-made tech." I explain.

"I can't risk exposing this organization every time some human criminal shows up at National City." Hank says.

"And I just can't let this man run wild." Kara says.

"Call your cousin. Superman fights for truth, justice and the American way. Last time I checked, National City was in America." Hank says.

Kara walks away and flies out of the DEO base. I just sigh knowing that Hank will not change his mind. He is very much a stickler for the rules and usually I am as well but I do have to side with Kara on this. Whether Reactron is alien or not, he's a threat to the security of National City which I feel is more of what the DEO is meant to do.

I walk back to my lab and log into my computer. Accessing the files of this Reactron that just attacked Kara. It doesn't seem like there is much known about the guy other than the fact that he has some issue with Superman. Reactron has started four separate battles with Superman over the past five years. Each time the fight became more dangerous for Superman with Reactron pumping up the power of his suit. In the last fight, it seems that he almost killed Superman. A suit malfunction was the only thing that helped Superman survive. I look back and see Hank walking toward my lab. I close the current screen of the Reactron files and open up the Fort Rozz alien files instead.

"Agent Danvers." Hank says, from the doorway.

"Yes, sir." I say, swiveling my desk chair around.

"You do know that this organization is meant only to fight alien combatants. We can't help Supergirl fight Reactron because that's not what this organization is for. Do you understand?" Hank asks, more confirming that I won't help Supergirl either.

"Yes, sir." I say.

He just stands in the doorway, looking at me closely. I hold his gaze for a couple seconds before raising an eyebrow at him.

"Is there something else, sir?" I ask, wondering how long he's going to stand there.

Hank clears his throat before shifting around and turning to leave.

"No. No, of course not. Just looking through the Fort Rozz files then?" Hank asks, one hand on the doorframe.

"Yes, sir." I say, before he is satisfied enough to walk away.

I swivel back around to my computer and open the previous screen, looking the files on Reactron over again. Supergirl needs to know about this, and I'm not sure if she'll have a way without my help. I shut down my computer and stop at the locker room to change back into civilian clothes before leaving the DEO.

As much as I know I should agree with Hank, my gut is telling me to side with Kara. She's trying to protect everyone, which is what a government agency should do. If there is something the DEO can do, they should. And if the DEO won't help, then I will. I just hope this doesn't come back to bite me or get me fired.

Pulling up to Catco, I park my bike and head inside where I locate the elevator. I mash the button for the top floor. The doors close and I feel the familiar sensation of a rising elevator. A ding rings out as I reach the selected floor. I exit the elevator and head straight. I've only come to visit Kara at work once but it's a pretty easy place to navigate. I can actually see Kara right when I step off the elevator. She hasn't seen me just yet. She's talking on the phone and has a worried look on her face. Kara puts the phone down and swivels toward Winn, who is standing near her desk.

"I have to find this man. How am I supposed to do that?" Kara asks Winn, still unaware of my arrival.

"With my help. Do you have someplace private we can talk?" I ask, stepping forward and giving a small smile.

"Do we ever." Winn says, grinning.

Winn and Kara guide me back to the elevator where we go down two floors and then down a couple of hallways until we reach the very end of one hallway to a door with a plaque that reads:

ED FLAHERTY  
ACTUARIES

When I raise an eyebrow to Kara, pointing at the sign, she just gives a wave and I shrug. Winn unlocks the door and opens it up, letting Kara and myself walk through. I look around and see some pretty impressive tech inside this room.

"Impressive. I'm guessing you set this up." I say, pointing at Winn.

Winn smiles smugly and raises his hands, taking in the subtle praise I was giving him.

"What's up with the plague?" I ask.

"The guy who used to have this office died and nobody wanted it. So, I figured it was a good Supergirl semi-headquarters for Catco." Winn says, I nod.

"May I?" I ask, pointing towards one of the computers.

"Of course." Winn says, waving me on.

I walk over and sit down in front of one of the computers that is already logged in. I've been practicing a little hacking in my down time and I'm able to link the computer up to the DEO satellite. Now let's go back to the fight with Reactron and do a thermal scan of the fight. Alright, let's try a nuclear scan to decipher the signature of the radiation.

Loading…

Match 100% - Thorium 232.

Alright so now, using the DEO database of chemicals compounds, I need to cross-reference locations of the element. Ok so it's only located at the power plant. Oh right, I remember this, the meltdown from five years ago. Let's look through the accident reports. I scan the files connected with the meltdown. It looks like two scientists were the only people killed.

"Perfect." I say, mostly to myself but Winn and Kara hear me.

The door opens and James enters the room. Kara and Winn look at James and then back at me.

"What'd you find?" Kara asks.

"I used the DEO satellite to scan the highway where you fought Reactron. And I was able to isolate the nuclear signature of his weapons system. It's powered by Thorium 232 which can only be found in one place." I say, pulling up the window of the power plant.

"Bakerline Nuclear Power Station." Kara says, reading the screen.

"I remember this. Terrorists tried to start a full-on meltdown like five years ago, but then…" Winn says.

"Superman stopped them." James says, finishing Winn's sentence.

"Yeah, he prevented the core from going into overload. Saved millions of people. But two reactor engineers were killed when the facility was flooded with radiation. Ben and Alyssa Krull. They were married." I say, pulling up a picture from inside accident report file. I run a facial recognition software to compare it with images from the DEO satellite fight with Reactron.

"Ben Krull is Reactron." Kara says.

"Yeah, he somehow survived the radiation exposure." I say, having made the connection already.

"That's why he hates my cousin. He blames him for the death of this wife." Kara says.

"Superman still managed to prevent an American Chernobyl." James says.

"Chernobyl. That gives me an idea on how we might find Krull." Winn says, leaning down to take over the keyboard.

"I need to head back to Ms. Grant. Let me know what you guys find out." Kara says, exiting the room.

"What are you going to do?" I ask, curious how Chernobyl can help.

"Do you mind if I use your satellites?" Winn asks.

"Not at all." I say.

"So, in the case of Chernobyl there were a number of things that happened after the meltdown, to the surrounding area. Specifically, I believe it is a black mold that was caused by the radiation in the city by Chernobyl. If I can use your satellites to scan that mold over in the Exclusion Zone and use its signature to scan the city for Krull, because chances are his suit will still be affecting the area that he's staying, therefore causing mold to sprout up. I should be able to sneak into the Russian satellites without being detected so we don't worry, I won't start anything with Russia and the Ukraine." Winn says.

"Yes, please avoid that." I say, now uneasy.

After a little silence and key hitting from Winn it seems there is a success.

"All right, so we have the signature of the mold and now we can scan National City as well as surrounding areas. That will hopefully narrow down where Reactron is." Winn says.

"Ok sounds good." I say, taking the keyboard back and pulling up the scanning software that is linked with the DEO satellite.

I import the signature that Winn pulled and start the scan. Within a few minutes, we have a location.

"It looks like he's at a junkyard about 60 miles south of the city." I say, before printing out a picture of the map.

James is standing near the printer and grabs the page when it comes out.

"I'll go tell Kara." James says, exiting the room.

"Well, fine. We did all the work but sure, you go tell Kara." Winn says, gesturing wildly.

I raise an eyebrow at him, smirking. Turning back to the computer, I pull up the live satellite view of the junkyard where Krull is located.

"And now we wait." I say, leaning back in the chair and watching the screen.

About 6 minutes later, Kara lands in the open area of the junkyard. She seems to be talking to herself before her head turns toward a shop and she enters. Shortly after that, both Kara and Reactron exit the shop. Lord can be seen exiting the building as well, out the back. Reactron blasts Kara into a car. They seem to exchange some more words and then Reactron hits Kara with a long blast. I look at Winn, I'm sure worry all over my face, and he looks at me, brows twisted in concern as well. I look back at the screen. Superman lands in front of Kara blocking Reactron's attack. Reactron flies away and Superman picks Kara up.

"I've got to go make sure she's ok." I say, standing out of the chair and exiting the room.

I leave Catco and drive over to Kara's apartment. I walk quickly up to Kara's apartment and use the spare key she gave me to get in. A breeze gusts through Kara's apartment and I see Superman holding Kara, looking at me with a worried expression.

"Clark. Is she alright?" I ask.

"She's still breathing, just unconscious." Clark says, lowering Kara onto her couch in the living room.

"That's good." I say, looking down at Kara sleeping.

Clark's watch starts beeping urgently on his wrist. He looks down and clicks it.

 _Volcanic eruption. South Pacific, sir._ – A robotic voice comes from his wrist.

"Thank you, Kal-Ex." Clark says, I'm assuming to his watch before looking at me and then down at Kara.

"It's ok. I'll take care of her. Thank you for helping her." I say.

Clark smiles and nods, before flying out the window and into the distance.

I go into the kitchen and find a rag, then I wet and wring it out before going back to Kara. I grab a blanket and cover Kara up with it. I take a hand and place the back of my fingers against Kara's forehead. Feeling her warmth, I take the rag and dab it on her face and neck a couple times, then place the rag on the table.

I grab the remote and turn on the news, just to keep track of Reactron. There is a knock at the door and I turn around to go get the door. I look through the peephole and see James. I open the door for him.

"How is she?" James asks.

"She's ok. Just unconscious right now. We'll just have to wait for her to wake up." I say, as James walks over and looks down at her.

James starts pacing around her apartment.

"Clark dropped her off. Not that I'm not thankful but how did he know she was fighting Reactron?" I ask.

"Clark gave me this watch so I could call him if I ever needed help." James explains, motioning toward his watch.

"Ah." I say. I'm sure he knows Kara won't be happy with him, doesn't need me rubbing it in.

"Doesn't Kara have some event tonight for work?" I ask, the thought popping into my head.

"Yeah. A Supergirl party that Catco is throwing for her success." James says, still pacing but slower now.

"Ok. Will you keep an eye on her? I need to go grab her something to wear. I'll be back in an hour." I say.

"Sure." James says.

I'm not the most excited about leaving my unconscious sister alone with a guy. He does seem to really care about her. But just in case, I place a small camera above Kara's door pointed towards Kara sleeping, as I leave. To keep my time away brief, I opt to walk over to the DEO office near my place.

I scan my badge and walking toward the undercover area.

"Hi, Dana. I need to borrow a dress. Size 4. Can I see a couple?" I ask, a smile on my lips.

"Sure, come on in." Dana says, opening the pony gate to let me look.

I pop in and look through half a dozen dresses before grabbing a green knee-length bulletproof dress. If not blue, green always looks good on her too.

"Cool, thanks. I'll bring it back tomorrow or the next day." I say.

"Not a problem." Dana says, writing down a line in her log and looking up with a smile.

I smile in return before walking back towards the front of the DEO and exiting the building. I quickly make my way back to Kara's apartment. I enter the apartment to see James just where I left him, pacing between the kitchen and the living room. I discreetly grab the camera and place it back in my bag.

"Hey, I meant to ask. Where did Clark go?" James asks.

"His watch said something about a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific." I say.

I place her dress on the dining room table before I walk over and sit down on the couch next to her. The next couple hours pass without incident. I alternate between watching the news and staring at the ground lost in worried thoughts. I'm indulging in the latter when I feel Kara stir and look over to see Kara's eyes open. I see panic flash across her eyes and hear her breathing get short.

"Kara? Kara. Hey. Easy, easy, easy. You're okay." I say, placing a hand on her knee as she sits up.

"How long was I out?" Kara asks, James stops pacing and walks over to us, sitting in a chair across from us.

"Just a few hours." I say.

"I was fighting Krull. My cousin. Where is he?" Kara asks.

"He had to go. Volcanic Eruption in the South Pacific." James says.

The news is showing an interview with Maxwell Lord. Kara looks to it, then hangs her head when he thanks Superman for his rescue instead of her. Damn prick. I reach forward and click it off.

"I don't understand. How did he know that I was fighting Krull?" Kara asks, still struggling a little.

I look at the ground but then I feel Kara look at me. I look over at James and then down at the ground again.

"You called him?" Kara asks, to James.

"Kara, he gave me this a long time ago. If I ever got in trouble, I could contact him." James says, motioning to his watch.

"But you weren't in trouble. When did you even call him? The second I left?" Kara asks, accusing.

"Kara, I made a promise to your cousin. If anything ever happened to you-" James says.

"My cousin didn't have a 'get out of a jam free' card when he first started. Neither should I. It feels like you don't believe in me." Kara says.

"Of course, I believe in you. I wouldn't even be here if I didn't believe in you." James says, seeming hurt by her comment.

"Maybe you shouldn't be here at all." Kara says, frustrated.

James looks hurt but gets up from the chair and heads for her front door. As he reaches the door he turns back toward us.

"You know what Kara? I'm sorry that you're mad at me. But I'm not sorry you're still alive." James says.

James opens the door and exits the apartment. Kara exhales, frustrated, and gets up from the couch, walking to the dining table.

"He was just protecting you." I say, getting up and following her before sitting on the arm of the couch.

"I know, I know. It's just… it wasn't supposed to be this way. This is the reason my mother and father sent me to Earth." Kara says, turning back to me.

"They wanted you to live, Kara." I say.

"No, it's more than that. I was supposed to be the one saving him, not the other way around. How am I supposed to really become a hero if Superman has to keep saving me?" Kara asks, I push off the arm of the couch.

"Your story… your story is just starting. And someday you're gonna be the one saving him." I say, pointing at her.

"Oh God, I … I have to be at Cat's party, like, now. Like 10 minutes ago, now. I don't have my dress." Kara says, flustered. I walk over to the dining room table and lift the dress I picked out earlier for her.

"Yes, I figured you would not have the time so I borrowed one from the DEO closet. Um, not that you really need it, but it is bulletproof." I say, offering the dry cleaner bag with a dress inside to her.

"Thanks, Alex." Kara says.

"Sure. I'll call you later. Enjoy your night." I say, before exiting her apartment.

I should keep an eye on Krull. Kara will be busy enough with Cat's party. Heading back downstairs I get back on my bike and head back to the DEO desert base. Hank will probably be wondering where I am considering that I am always at work, and I've been out for the past couple days. Pulling into my parking space again, I put down my kickstand and head back into my lab. I avoid Hank for now, that way he hopefully hasn't noticed I've been gone most of the day.

I open up my computer again and pull open the files on Reactron, starting a scan for Krull's heat signature again. I feel a presence behind me and turn around. Director Henshaw is staring at me through the glass door with a frustrated look on his face. He opens the door and enters my lab.

"Director Henshaw." I say.

"Agent Danvers, what are you doing?" Hank asks.

"I'm helping Kara to stop Reactron." I say, after a slight pause.

"It's been increasingly difficult for you to follow orders since your sister flew onto the scene." Hank says.

"When you asked me to join the DEO, I didn't hesitate. Because you told me that together we were going to save the world. Except saving the world means everybody. Aliens, humans, I can't separate them anymore. Especially when my little sister's life is at stake." I say.

"Who else knows about this?" Hank asks.

"No one." I say.

"Good. Wouldn't want them getting any ideas." Hank sits down at the computer. "So, how do we defeat this Reactron?" Hank asks.

"That's a good question. It seems like he's found a way to mask himself because his signature isn't showing up in the scans that I was able to use earlier to track him down. If we can find out how he's cloaking himself then we might be able to figure out a way to power down his suit." I say.

"Is there an element that is chemically opposite or close to opposite that we could use to surround it?" Hank asks.

"That's a good thought. Let's run the chemical properties of Thorium 232 and see if there is an opposite or an anti-equivalent." I say, opening another program and importing the properties of Thorium 232.

I run the program and the only element close to opposite is a 50% match which wouldn't be close enough to be helpful.

"Maybe it doesn't need to be the Thorium compound. Let's pull up the schematics of his suit." Hank says.

I pull up the earlier files I had open of the information we had on Reactron as well as what I was able to find out as well. Hank and I silently scan of the suit schematics.

"Look here." Hank says pointing toward the center. "His suit is powered by a Demon Core."

"That's constructed with plutonium, right? So, that would negate any effects of the Thorium." I say.

"Yes, but in order to power down the suit we'd have to pull it free from the suit and doing that would cause an instant nuclear explosion." Hank says, and I nod thinking.

"Well just like with Supergirl's x-ray vision. Lead, being such a dense element, should be able to act as a shield to the power of the core." I say, looking to Hank for confirmation.

"Yes, that should work. Contact Supergirl." Hank says, as we walk out into the main control room.

I connect the comms at the main computer with Supergirl.

"Kara, we may have a way for you to stop Krull." I say.

"Krull's chest unit is powered by a Demon Core, a subcritical mass of plutonium." Hank says.

"If you can remove it from his suit, it should shut down his weaponry." I say.

"But the core will melt down the very moment it's freed from its containment matrix." Hank says, warning.

"There has to be some way to stop him without nuking the city." Kara says, over the speaker.

"You need to encase the core in lead before you rip it free." I say.

"Lead." Kara says, quietly, as if to herself.

"Let's hope that helps her." Hank says and I nod in response.

Some noises can be heard over Kara's comms as the fight continues with Reactron. Using the satellites, we can see both Kara and Reactron exit the building. Kara heads off Reactron, blocking him from continuing his assault on Jimmy Olsen. Kara reaches forward and pulls the core from Reactron's suit. He falls backward, collapsing to the ground. The core seems to be stable encased in the lead.

"Perfect." I say, mostly to myself.

"Good work, Agent Danvers." Hank says.

"You, too, sir." I say.

"Let's get a strike team out to collect Reactron and get him in one of the cells." Hank says.

"Yes, sir. Rodriguez, Hart, Tatum, Shen, and Thompson. Suit up. We're leaving in five." I say.

"Yes, ma'am." I hear in response from varying areas of the room.

I go grab a couple weapons from the armory, a chemical containment box for the core Kara is currently holding and I head out to the hangar. I ride shotgun of a Bear, kind of like an armored bank car used for transporting fugitives mostly, with Rodriguez driving. After hearing a couple doors slam, I slide the small door to look into the back transport compartment to see four agents behind, checking to make sure everyone is in.

"Alright, Rodriguez we're all here. Move out." I say and Rodriguez drives forward.

"Hey, Supergirl. We're headed your way to collect Reactron. Just keep him there until we get there." I say, over my comms.

"Shouldn't I just fly him there?" Kara asks.

"You've had a bit of a rough day. Just stay put and we'll be there soon." I say, hoping she'll listen.

"Ok. Fine." Kara says, with a slight huff.

"Thank you." I say, rolling my eyes.

Within a half hour, we make it to the building where Kara is now sitting, looking bored, on a still unconscious Reactron. I grab the containment box and exit the Bear.

"What are you doing? Get off him." I say, laughing slightly.

"What? This was the best way to make sure he wouldn't move. Also using the least amount of energy." Kara says, getting up, careful not to open her hand.

"And I'll take that." I say, holding out the containment box to her.

"Oh, thank Rao! I've had to go to the bathroom for the past 15 minutes!" Kara says, happily offering her hand. She pushes the lead from where it starts on her mid-arm all the way down to her fingertips, discarding the mass into the box, which I close promptly, just in case.

"Alright well you go to the bathroom. I'll meet you back at the DEO." I say, turning back to the Bear.

"Reactron is all loaded up, Agent Danvers." Agent Shen says, before closing the back compartment.

"Sounds good." I say, heading back to shotgun.

Rodriguez drives us all back to base. We pull back into the hangar.

"You guys get him in cell 19. I'm going to drop this off at the chemical department." I say, motioning toward the box.

"Yes, ma'am." Rodriguez says.

I walk over to the chemical department and see Eric at the front desk. He's in his mid-thirties, with thick blond hair and blue eyes. He has some alternative rock playing on a radio behind him, but it's not too loud. Blink 182's _First Date_ is playing right now. I smile. I knock on the desk, to break Eric out of his trance.

"Hi, Eric. This is Reactron's core. Plutonium encased in lead. Make sure it's handled appropriately?" I say, looking at him intently.

"Yes, ma'am. Of course." Eric says, grabbing the box from me. "Just sign here."

I fill out and sign the log he pushed toward me.

"Thanks. Have a nice day." I say, walking away.

I walk back out into the main control room where Hank is standing. Rodriguez and Shen enter the control room from the opposite side.

"Agent Danvers, Reactron is secure in cell 19." Rodriguez says.

"Thank you. Dismissed." I say, they both walk away.

I walk over to Hank.

"Director Henshaw." I say, announcing my presence.

"Agent Danvers." Hank says, acknowledging.

"The core is dropped off in the chemical department and Reactron is locked up in cell 19." I say.

"Good work, Agent Danvers." Hanks says.

A breeze sweeps through the base and I look back to see Kara land.

"Thank you for your help. Both of you." Kara says.

"Something tells me this isn't the last non-alien you'll be taking on. And since the threat of federal prison doesn't stop your sister disobeying my orders, I guess in the future we'll just have to help Supergirl again." Hank says, before walking away.

"Told you he'd come around on me." Kara says, smiling at the use of her name.

"So, what does the Girl of Steel do to celebrate after saving the day?" I ask.

"Um… How about the Danvers sisters take in a movie tonight?" Kara asks.

"Or how about you go find a certain ex-photojournalist with a penchant for tight shirts who makes you smile more than anyone else I've ever seen do?" I pitch instead. Kara smiles widely to herself. "Yeah, that."

I look down at my watch and see that it's 12:57 AM.

"Wow. It's pretty late already. You better get home. Go talk to Jimmy in the morning. And let me know how it goes?" I say.

"Ok. I'll call you." Kara says, before exiting the DEO.

"Agent Danvers." Hank says, walking up.

"Yes, sir." I say.

"Are you heading home? Or would you like a task?" Hank asks.

"I'll take the task." I say. I'm really not tired yet and chances are that I wouldn't get much sleep anyways.

Hank hands me a file and walks back toward the main computer. So, no verbal explanation at all. Interesting. I walk over to my lab and close the door behind me. I place the folder on the table in the middle and open it up. It's interesting that he handed me an actual file. Most of the Fort Rozz files are digital. He probably knows that I'm already looking through the extras of those in my downtime anyway. This must be something else entirely.

The first thing I can tell from the file is that it looks old. I know the DEO was formed shortly after Superman landed on Earth almost 35 years ago. So, this must have been one of the first files the DEO ever drew up. It looks like the information sheets were printed from one of the old large-scale printers used in general record keeping back then. It almost looks like the terminal screen of a computer. Very basic.

Aside from the obvious age of the sheets, it is pretty straightforward. It looks like this a file about a type of alien that the file creator believed was a species from Mars. However, the information that we've catalogued from Fort Rozz suggests that Mars devoid of any life. At least, there were never any prisoners that mapped their origins to Mars.

There are three images in the file. They are old, pixelated and not entirely clear. The skin color appears to be green which may be why they assumed it's from Mars. I guess I can't prove the theory wrong. It appears to have some pretty advanced robotics technology on its figure. I can't really make out if it's a weapon or just an aide of some kind. All three of the images are basically the same, they just are from different angles. Aside from the green skin, the alien looks to have a fairly humanoid biological structure, just a bit bulkier than an average person.

I turn around to my computer and open up my notes on Fort Rozz species that I've already gone through. I don't remember coming across anything in the Fort Rozz files that reminds me of this alien but it won't hurt to check. I spend hours scouring through my notes until my phone buzzes in my pocket, bringing me out of my concentration. I pull it out.

Hey, sister night? – Kara's text reads.

Sure. – I text back.

I'm guessing things did not go well with James. She would've called if they did.

Sweet. 6? – Kara texts again.

Sounds good. I'll bring the food. – I text a reply.

3 3 3 – A final text from Kara. I smile.

It's 9:30. I decide to take a couple hours to get some physical activity in. I go to the gun range and practice for an hour on a couple different weapons. Then I head over to the wooden dummy for some hand to hand combat practice.

While I beat the dummy's wooden arms back and forth repetitively, my mind drifts back to the file on the green skinned alien back in my lab. If it's not in the Fort Rozz database, how can Director Henshaw expect me to find it? Maybe it is in the database and he is just wanting to push me to find it. Maybe it's not in there at all and he doesn't even know. Maybe he is trying to see how I'll adapt when the data isn't readily available. Or maybe he's just trying to drive me crazy. Why this file? Why now? There doesn't seem to be any connection to Fort Rozz which is the main objective right now. But maybe that is the point. We can't let other aliens slip through the cracks, even if they aren't the primary focus. But how do I find information that may not exist?

"Agent Danvers?" I hear a voice toward the door.

I stop to look back but then a wooden limb clocks me in the jaw. I step out of the way to avoid more wooden punches. I grab my face and massage it slowly before turning to the door.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Agent Shen is standing at the door looking terrified.

"It's fine. What do you need, Agent Shen?" I ask, testing my jaw to make sure it's not too bad.

"Yes. I uh, I just wanted to know if you wanted something to eat. I was going to get something. I noticed that you seem to have been here all night and I figured you got lost in a case and probably didn't eat. So, I uh, figured I'd offer." Agent Shen asks, falling over her words a little.

"Yeah, sure. That'd be nice. I didn't go home and didn't eat any breakfast. Where are you going?" I ask, recovering.

"I'm going to Big Belly Burger. I've got the order for the guys if you want to write down what you want." Shen says, holding out a piece of paper and a pen.

I walk over to her and grab the paper and pen, writing down the Breakfast burger which has bacon, cheese and a fried egg. I'm starving. I hand it back to her and smile before reaching into my pocket and pulling out a twenty to hand to her.

"Thanks, Shen." I say, smiling.

"Sure thing, Agent Danvers. I'll be back in about an hour." Shen says.

"Sounds good." I say.

Agent Shen exits the room and I walk back over to the wooden dummy and resume my sparring for another half hour. I go to the locker room and take a quick shower before heading back to my lab. I don't feel a hundred percent yet, considering I still haven't slept but I do feel better.

I sit back down at my computer and resume my scouring of the Fort Rozz files. File after file. With very minimal success. I've found 3 possible matches after going through 6 dozen pages of notes. The only thing that I was able to pull the file based on was the green skin. Thankfully there aren't more green aliens because that would make this even more difficult. In my free time, I've taken these notes on over 150 prisoners of Fort Rozz. It's taken hours and I only have 5 possible matches, again based only on the fact that they have green skin. I'm starting to feel like this is an impossible task.

A quiet knock on my door catches my attention. I turn around to see Agent Shen smiling with a couple bags in her hands.

"Agent Danvers. I just wanted to drop off your burger." Shen says.

I get up and go take the burger from her.

"Oh, thank you. I'm so hungry." I say, opening the bag and inhaling the smell.

"Sure. And here's your change." Shen says, holding her hand up in a claw with the change.

"Oh, wow. You're so nice. Rodriguez never gives my change back." I say, holding out my hand and she puts the $7.32 into my hand.

"Yeah, I didn't give him his change. I told him it goes toward gas money." Shen says, laughing.

I laugh as well.

"Well, I hope you like it." Shen says, turning to leave.

I turn to go back to my desk but then turn back toward the door after a thought comes to mind.

"Hey, Agent Shen?" I call.

Shen stops in her track, I'm guessing toward the break room, and turns around to look at me quizzically.

"Yes, Agent Danvers?" Shen asks, walking back to my door.

"How would you find out information on an alien where the only thing you knew about it was that it was green?" I ask.

Agent Shen bits her lip and raises a finger to her lips in thought for a couple seconds.

"Isn't there a facial recognition software that we can use for the Fort Rozz aliens? If you have a picture, you should be able to upload it and do a comparison, right?" Shen asks.

I think for a second. That might help.

"Do you want to have lunch with me? Help me figure it out?" I ask.

"Sure, Agent Danvers." Shen says.

Shen enters the room and walks to the table in the middle of the room. The file and its corresponding papers litter the entire table. I put my bag down and sweep all the papers together back toward the folder so Shen can put her food down. I grab the most clear photo of the three and take it over to the scanner, opening the lid, placing the picture down and closing the lid. I push the scan button and go over to my burger bag again.

I pull the burger and knife out. I open the wrapping and take the knife, cutting the burger in half before starting to eat. I look over back at Shen and see her eating her own burger, which looks like the Midwestern with corn chips, avocado and refried bean paste, and looking down at the papers.

"These aren't very good pictures. I hope the facial recognition works on this." Shen says, after swallowing a bite.

"Yeah, that's why I didn't think to try it initially but it could help. I've spent all day looking through Fort Rozz files and the only way I've been narrowing anyone down is if they have green skin. It's been a little frustrating." I say, before taking another bite.

"Hmm. Sounds like it. So, what's with this file? How'd you find it? It looks ancient." Shen asks.

A ping on the computer alerts me that the scan is finished. I walk back over to it.

"Director Henshaw gave it to me this morning after we wrapped up with Reactron." I take the image and import it into the facial scanning software linked with the Fort Rozz data. "He just asked me if I wanted a task and since I wasn't tired I said yes." I start the scan and step back over to my food. "Here I am 12 hours later and I am not much closer to figuring out what he wants me to find."

"Hmm. Are you sure that there is anything to find? Did he say anything after giving you the file?" Shen asks, continuing to eat.

"No. That was the weirdest thing. I just said yes, he handed me the file and then he walked away without another word." I say, explaining the interaction.

"So, you're starting to think that he's testing you or something. So, when do you call it?" Shen asks.

I think for a minute. It's a matter of wills at the moment. Either Henshaw will tell me it's a test or I break. And I refuse to break.

"Not yet." I say, before continuing to eat.

"Not yet." Shen says, nodding and eating while looking through the papers again.

The computer beeps with a negative affirmation on the image. I turn around to see the words:

NO MATCH EXCEEDING 23%.  
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE TOP RESULT?

YES NO

I roll over to the computer and hit the enter key.

A humanoid alien shows up. A Zumoorian. Looks like a human so no. I hit the right arrow key to start cycling through the results. Ungaran. Red skin. Rannian. Caucasian skin.

"It looks like it didn't even register the green skin when searching." Shen says, now standing close behind me.

I mentally jump before collecting myself and going through the results still.

"You can go if you have things to do. It doesn't look like I'm really any closer." I say.

"Yeah, I'm sorry my idea didn't work. Good luck, Agent Danvers." Shen says, grabbing her bag and throwing it in the garbage before leaving.

"Thanks." I say, mostly to myself since Shen is out of earshot.

Lartnec. Blue. Next. Maybe it wasn't picked up in the scan. Let me see if there's a way to search for a characteristic. It looks like the Fort Rozz logs were all pulled in a similar pattern. And there is a color characteristic. Ok so let's search for green. Enter.

SCANNING…

There are over 8000 prisoners logged into the database of Fort Rozz. So, it'll take a while.

My watch goes off with the alarm I set to remind me to leave for sister night. Wow 4:30 already. I turn off the computer screen but leave the computer to do its scan so I can come into it tomorrow.

I stop by the locker room, change and grab my stuff before exiting the DEO. I drive back into the city and stop by our favorite potsticker place and order some food.

"10 minutes." The Asian lady says and I nod.

I walk out and down the block, killing time. I see the new Catco magazine and decide to grab an issue. I pay the man and walk back to the restaurant, sitting down at one of the tables to wait. I flip open the magazine to the article about Kara and read through the article.

"Danvers." The Asian lady calls out as I read the last sentence of the article.

I tuck the magazine under my arm and walk over to the counter, grabbing the food with a smile and a nod. The lady nods and I walk back out to my bike, tucking the food in the back compartment.

I pull up to Kara's apartment complex and park my bike before grabbing the food out of the back compartment. I walk up to her apartment and knock on the door.

"Come in." I hear from inside.

I open the door and close it behind me before walking over to the couch, placing the food on the coffee table. I start pulling containers, condiments and utensils out of the bags. Kara walks over and smiles down at the table of food.

"Yay! Thank you, favorite sister." Kara says, grabbing a pair of chopsticks and a container of fried rice and cabbage. She pops the lid and grabs four potstickers to place on top of the rice.

I grab a container for myself and take a couple potstickers to place over my rice. We start eating.

"So how was work?" I ask, before taking my first bite.

"It was fine. Busy." Kara takes a bite of a potsticker. "We had lots of people calling for Ms. Grant, asking for quotes about the incident last night," Kara takes another bite. I eat some fried rice. "asking for details on Supergirl." Kara finishes her second potsticker. "Does she have a personal relationship with Supergirl?" Kara starts eating the third. At this point I'm rolling my eyes at her. You would've thought she was raised in a barn. I know she's just worked up. "How long has she known Supergirl?" Kara finishes the third potsticker. "Blah, blah, blah. It's weird to answer questions about yourself without letting other people know that you are answering questions about yourself."

"Mmm-hmm." I hum, eating my first potsticker.

"And then there is Ms. Grant herself. Keira, I need another unsalted grass-fed butter with extract of coconut oil Bulletproof Coffee so I can write this article that tears your alter ego to shreds." Kara finishes the final potsticker on her plate. "Keira, I need you to plan this party with no direction from me, but it must be perfect and super flashy to impress everyone, even though you've never planned a party of this magnitude. But it's only a thousand guests." Kara looks at her bowl and seeing only fried rice and cabbage left, frowns. She starts eating it though.

We both eat quietly for a couple minutes. I look over at her, not really sure how to ask, so I just come out with it.

"So, no James Olsen tonight, huh?" I ask.

"No, not tonight. Pass me that last potsticker." Kara says.

"Uh, no. That one is mine. You had four." I say, trying to defend it.

"If that pot sticker is not in my mouth in two seconds, I will melt you face." Kara says.

Kara rarely threatens to melt my face so I concede the last potsticker, glaring at her as she grabs it from the container I offer.

"I hope you get fat." I say, pouting.

"Not on this planet." Kara says, smirking to herself.

"So, guess what I picked up on the way." I say, holding up the magazine.

"Did you actually read the article? Because she says horrible things about me." Kara says.

"Very well-crafted horrible things." Kara stares at me, betrayed. "Deep beneath that seething disdain… she respects you." I say, explaining.

"Really?" Kara asks.

"Mmm-hmm. Supergirl, I mean. Her assistant, no, she couldn't give a rip about." I say, closing my eyes and smirking.

A second later, my face is impaled with a soft object with some impressive force behind it. Pillow. I groan and start laughing.

"Oh, God. Right in the face." I say, placing the pillow on the couch.

Kara laughs hard, joining my own laughter.

"Well, look, you should be proud of yourself. I mean you're doing things that Superman couldn't even do." I say, offering some comfort.

"Well, I may not need Superman to be a hero, but I will always need you." Kara says, I smile at her.

There are sirens that go off in the distance. I look out the window and then back at Kara, who is still looking out the window before looking back at me.

"Isn't that your cue?" I ask, smirking.

Kara smiles and gets up off the couch, walking over to her open closet.

"Do not watch Homeland until I get back." Kara says, threatening as she changes in a flash.

"There's no promises." I say, mostly to myself but I know she heard me.

Kara flies out the window and into the night.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I don't know if I need to warn against anxiety problems or panic attacks that will arise in this chapter. But just be aware that I do my best to portray the anxiety and stress that Alex is going through and I don't mean to trigger anyone in any way so again just be aware of them when reading.

And I want to give a quick shout out to afret2010 and Truerider. Thanks for leaving reviews. I appreciate them deeply and I'm glad you guys/gals are enjoying the chapters. I got a little consumed with work the last couple weeks so I apologize for the delay. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

 _14 years ago_

I pace back and forth as Kara sits on the bed with her legs crossed, hands folded into her lap. Her look downcast into her hands. In my pacing, I hear a soft whimper and a sniff just outside the door. I turn and walk toward the door, ready to open it when the knob turns. I step back and stand awkwardly as the door opens toward me. My mom stands in the doorway first looking down and then raising her eyes to meet Kara's gaze before meeting my own.

I can tell she's been crying. It's not really the typical look you see from a crier. Her eyes aren't red and puffy, there aren't tears glistening on her face or mucus dripping from her nose; Mom wouldn't come to us looking like a wreck. She'd recompose herself and try not to show weakness, but I know she's been crying, even dismissing the fact of what I heard just outside the door.

Something in her eyes tells me I'm not going to like what she says.

"Girls… There's no real easy way to say this. Some men came to take Kara away because they saw her using her powers but in order to protect her… Your father went with them in her stead." Mom says, choking out the last part.

"What? No. He can't do that. It was my fault. My mistake." Kara says, getting off the bed and walking over to us.

"It doesn't matter, Kara. Jeremiah made his choice to protect you and now you'll know, there are consequences to everything you do." Mom says.

"But, I can find them and go with them instead." Kara says, starting to walk forward toward the door.

"Kara, no." Mom says, lightly grabbing her arm. "They left a while ago. I didn't know how to come up here and tell you both so I stayed downstairs to wrap my brain around it."

Kara visibly loses her spirit to right the situation.

I can't believe this is happening. I walk over to my Mom and wrap my arms around her in a short hug before walking over to my bed, slipping under the covers without a word. I lean forward and turn out my lamp before laying down on my side, looking toward the wall.

I hear a couple steps.

"Kara, don't. She needs some time." Mom says, quietly.

Shortly after, I hear the door close and I hear what I can presume to be Kara going over to her bed, some shuffling and a click as Kara's light shuts off.

A solitary tear slides down over my nose before dripping onto my pillow.

I close my eyes for an uneasy night of sleep.

 _Present Day_

 _Kara is carrying me whilst flying in the air. This reminds me of when we were kids on that night when Kara first got here. I look out over the city, enjoying the view, when I feel the loss of contact between my body and Kara's. I start falling down toward the ground. Looking back up at Kara, I see a black figure with red eyes holding onto her as she looks on with a fear-stricken face and her hand outstretched toward me, helpless. I close my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the impact._

I jolt forward on the couch, placing my hands on either side of me. Breathing deeply, I look around and see my apartment shrouded in shadows. I continue to breathe deeply and touch various parts of my body to make sure I'm alright. I give a final exhausted exhale before looking over at the clock. 3:14 A.M.

"A falling dream? Really? Couldn't be more obvious, huh, brain?" I say aloud to myself.

I get off the couch and walk to the bathroom to splash myself with some cold water.

I'm remembering the night before. I'd actually had a fairly early night at work, leaving by 6. I was still working on that 35-year-old case Director Henshaw assigned me and getting a large number of files returned from that scan I did a few days ago. Analyzing each of the returned records was taking some time. But other than that, the last couple of days at work have been pretty uneventful. For once it's my personal life that's stressing me out. Mom's coming into town for Thanksgiving tomorrow.

After the realization hit me last night, I couldn't fall asleep for the life of me. I tried: reading a book, The Martian by Andy Weir, but I just got really into the story; doing a 5000-piece-puzzle, I know a little excessive, of an ocean scene, which I got really into as well; and watching some TV, Forged in Fire was on again so I was happy about that. I must've fallen asleep at some time after 1:30. That's the last time I remember after looking at the clock. So now I have to go on an hour of sleep when meeting my mom.

"Great." I say out loud.

I look down on the table to see my phone with a new text.

Don't even think about coming into work today or tomorrow. You need a little time away. If there's an emergency I'll call you. And don't go to the in-town office either. – Director Henshaw's text reads.

"Damn it." I say.

I really could've used a distraction. Well there is no chance of me getting back to sleep, so I go ahead a start my morning routine.

A few anxious hours later, I'm at the dining room table continuing the puzzle from last night. I've got the entire ring of the puzzle and maybe a quarter of the interior when my phone dings. Maybe it's Director Henshaw. I quickly grab it to see it's from Kara.

Eliza told me she'd be coming by my place at around 8. I'm not there right now. Let yourself in if you need to. – Kara's text reads.

I groan a little before looking at the time to see it is 7. I groan again. I frown, looking at my puzzle, longingly.

"Til next time, my friend." I say.

I change out of my lounge clothes into some jeans, a simple green top and my leather jacket, with some black boots to match. I grab my keys and phone.

"Ok, 49 hours to go." I say, exhaling before opening the door and locking it behind me.

I walk the short distance to Kara's place and am knocking on the door in 10 minutes. I hear no movement from inside and can only assume that she's still not home so I pull out my keys to find Kara's apartment key to open the door. I walk inside and now without anything to distract me, I resume my pacing. After a few minutes of pacing, I turn toward the kitchen and walk towards the scotch bottle that Kara keeps for me. I pull down a glass from the cabinet and pour a finger. Don't want to go overboard. It's not even 10 yet. I throw it back and restrain myself from pouring more. I quickly clean the glass with soap and water before placing it back in the cabinet. I resume my pacing. God, I feel like I could use a cigarette and I've only smoked a couple times ever. My nerves feel like they're pulsing and that they might burst out of my skin.

"Ok, just breathe." I say, inhaling and exhaling, deeply. "You need to calm down a little."

I continue to breath slowly, in and out, as I wait for Kara and will myself to not look at the clock every 3 seconds. I'm pacing toward the front door when I hear Kara from behind.

"Hey." Kara says, walking from the window toward her kitchen.

"Oh! Finally!" I say, relieved because it's 4 minutes to 8.

"Look, this big, havoc-wreaking, lady-beast thing broke free. Happens to the best of us." Kara says.

"I'm sorry. I'm just... I'm freaking out." I say, realizing that I'm showing my anxiety.

"Alex, I have seen you take down a human-sized bug without a weapon. This is going to be fine." Kara says.

"Last year, she was mad at me for you not dating enough. Okay? I can't even imagine what she's gonna do to me for you coming out as Supergirl." I say, getting worked up again.

"She seemed fine on the phone. At least she's making pie." Kara says.

"Yeah. I'm sure your favorite." I scoff.

"Chocolate pecan pie is the best dessert in the galaxy. And as someone who's been to twelve different planets, I mean that literally." Kara says.

A knock echoes from the front door.

"Oh, god… No, you need to change out of that…" I say, gesturing to her suit.

"It's fine. It's fine." Kara says before opening the door. "Eliza!"

"My girls! Oh, my best, favorite, wonderful girls!" Mom says, walking into the apartment and placing her bags just inside the door, Kara closes the door, and Mom excitedly reaching forward to hug Kara. Both of them humming happily before she turns toward me gesturing me toward her. "Oh Alex, come here." I comply, walking up to receive a hug and grunting at the pressure of the hug. "It's so good to be here. You both look so great." Mom says, looking at Kara's outfit. "You always looked great in blue." She then turns toward me and looks me over. "And you look a little tired, sweetie. Is the lab keeping you busy?"

"Yeah." I say, forcing a smile. It doesn't seem appropriate to say that no I was up all night with anxiety about your arrival.

"How was your flight?" Kara asks.

"Oh, it was fine. Um, it was a little bumpy." Mom says, walking into the apartment.

"Oh, I hate when that happens. I hit some crazy air pockets when I was flying back from the…" Kara says, before I gently touch her forearm and shake my head. "- the place I was at." Kara finishes awkwardly.

"You're doing great, Kara." Mom says.

"You really… Do you really think so, Mom?" I ask, a little hesitant and surprised at her approval.

"Of course." Mom says and continues after a slight pause. "Now let's relax a little before you both have to go to work."

"Sure. Mind if I turn on the morning radio show I like to listen to?" Kara asks.

"Not at all." Mom says, I shrug in answer.

We all sit on the bar stools tucked under Kara's kitchen island while Kara turns on the radio. The theme music for the Leslie Willis show comes on.

"Really? You listen to this. She seems a little crass for you." I say.

"I like the bluntness of her arguments… most of the time." Kara says.

"So, Kara, how is Catco?" Mom asks.

"It's good. I'm still an assistant but I'm paying my dues. A necessary evil. I'm enjoying being Supergirl much more. I finally get to help people and do so much more than I ever got to do as an assistant. It's so exciting and fulfilling." Kara says.

I look over at Mom.

"That's great, sweetie." Mom says.

Over the radio, it seems that the topic of Leslie's show today is about Supergirl and how not grateful she is for her. Over the short time of 2 minutes, Leslie manages to tear down Supergirl in a variety of ways including: her personality, her physical appearance, her questionable sexuality and her costume.

"Alright, why don't we just turn this off?" I say, getting up to turn the radio off.

Kara looks a little bruised emotionally and Mom gives her a side hug on the stool.

"Yeah, I should get going for work anyway. I've got to stop and get Ms. Grant's coffee before I get there." Kara says, obviously ready to get out of there.

"I should probably go, too." I say, definitely not ready to spend the whole day alone with my mother. There will be plenty of time for that tomorrow. She doesn't need to know that I'm actually not allowed at work today.

Kara quickly changes before coming back out into the kitchen again.

"Eliza, feel free to use whatever you need. I'll get takeout for tonight so don't worry about dinner and relax." Kara says.

"Of course. I'll just do the prep work today and then I'll relax. Thank you, sweetie." Mom says.

"We'll see you tonight, Mom." I say, opening the door for Kara before following her out.

Kara and I walk silently to the elevator.

"See I told you it wouldn't be as bad as you were thinking." Kara says, smirking.

"I don't know if we're out the woods yet." I say.

"You worry too much. It'll be fine." Kara says.

"Hmm. What are you planning to get for dinner tonight?" I ask.

"I was going to get Chang's. A little fancier Chinese than our normal spot for the special occasion." Kara says, we exit the elevator.

"Ooo. I'll meet you there. 6:30?" I say.

"Just what I was thinking. I'll see you tonight." Kara says, walking out the front door and heading toward Noonan's.

"Alright." I say, heading back to my apartment.

I get back to my apartment without any incident. I proceed to spend the day trying to relax, meaning distracting myself by any means necessary. I continue with the ocean puzzle and put on some alternative rock as background noise to keep my thoughts busy.

Unfortunately, I am done with the puzzle entirely too soon.

"Why do you betray me like this? I thought we were friends." I groan, staring down at the masterpiece.

My stomach growls loudly, surprising me. I look at the clock to see it is one. I'm probably hungrier than usual because I didn't sleep very much. I wonder if I should just slap a sandwich together. Nah, I'll order a pizza. That way I can eat for a couple days on it. I pick up the phone and order a classic cheese pizza from the NY style pizza place that specializes in huge pizzas nearby.

While I wait for it, I lay down on the couch and turn on the Discovery Channel which has a documentary on bullhead sharks. I think I've seen it before but lean back into the couch to watch anyway. I close my eyes listening to the documentary speaker's easy voice.

 _14 years ago_

I wake up for the fourth time at 4:38AM before getting out of bed. I turn onto my back and lay in bed staring at the dark ceiling. After a couple minutes, I get out of bed, deciding it's easier to just get up.

I walk to the bedroom door and turn the knob. I hear shuffling behind me and turn around.

"Alex?" Kara says, softly.

I pause just standing with the door barely open for a couple seconds.

"Don't, Kara." I say, feeling unready for this conversation.

"I'm sorry." Kara says, before laying back down and turning onto her side.

"I know." I say softly, unsure if she can hear, before turning back and closing the door behind me.

I walk down the stairs and see Mom asleep on the couch. It looks like she's holding one of Dad's shirts, kind of as a pillow. I grab the blanket laying on the back of the recliner and walk over to her, covering her with the blanket. She adjusts slightly, nuzzling closer into the shirt. I go into the kitchen and turn on just the stove light before setting a pot to boil some water for cocoa. I don't know why but it just sounds good right now.

After a couple minutes I've got the cocoa assembled and quietly unlock the back door, stealthily sneaking out onto the back porch. I sit down in one of the wooden chairs and take a sip before sitting into the chair. I pull my legs into the chair fully, sitting cross-legged and placing the coffee mug into my lap but still holding onto it.

What is going to happen to Dad? What are they going to make him do? Why did Dad do this? What was so important that he gave himself up for Kara? We've only known her for a couple of days. I wonder if his relationship with Superman has something to do with this. I just don't understand his motives or the motives of these people who wanted to take Kara away. Why did they want her so bad anyway? I know that some people are scared of Superman. Is that why they wanted to take Kara? So that they would have someone like Superman under their control.

A light touch on my shoulder breaks me out of my line of questions to myself. I look up and over to see my mom looking down at me with a gentle smile.

"May I sit?" Mom asks.

I nod solemnly and she moves to sit in the chair next to me. We sit silently together for a few minutes. I look down at my cocoa, realizing that it has gone cold. I take a sip anyway.

"Do you have any questions?" Mom asks.

"None that probably have an answer." I say.

"Alex…" Mom says, trailing.

"It's ok." I say.

"Sweetie, I need to talk to you about something. Now that your dad is not around, as Kara's big sister, I'm going to need your help protecting her. She doesn't have anyone else. Superman is going to be too busy to really look after her. It's going to be up to us to make sure she stays safe. It's -" Mom says, pausing to compose herself before continuing. "It's what your father would want."

I take another sip of my cold cocoa before putting it back in my lap and looking over to her, smiling gently.

"Ok, Mom. I'll help keep her safe." I say.

"Thank you, Alex." Mom says.

I nod before turning my gaze back out toward the horizon, the sun's light just starting to peak up.

 _Present Day_

A loud knock echoes from my door.

"Is anyone in there?" A male voice calls just outside.

"Oh wow, I fell asleep." I say to myself before calling to the door. "Yes. I'm here. I'm coming."

I push up off the couch and walk quickly to the door. I unlock the door before flinging it open.

"Hey, sorry. I fell asleep." I say, smiling nervously.

"No problem. Here's your pizza. That'll be 15.74." The man says.

"Yeah, sure." I say, stepping over to my jacket hung up and pulling out my wallet from the secret inner pocket. Fishing out a $20 bill, I step back in front of the delivery man and hand him the bill. "Keep the change."

"Thanks. Have a nice day." He says, handing me the pizza before walking back to the elevator.

I close the door and place the pizza on the counter before turning back around to lock the door again. I really didn't think I'd fall back to sleep today.

"What time is it?" I ask aloud, looking over at the clock. It's almost 2 now.

I grab a plate and take one of the huge slices, I got the extra-large size so I can eat on for two or three days after today. The puzzle still covers almost the entirety of my dining room table so I opt to head back to the couch. The documentary has changed to the topic of Stonehenge, one that I don't think I've seen so I sit back and enjoy my pizza, while learning of the mysteries that still surround Stonehenge to this day.

After the two-hour Stonehenge documentary and another slice of pizza, I place the rest of the pizza in the fridge and clean my plate before grabbing the book I tried reading last night, taking my place back on the couch.

This guy seems like the MacGyver of space. Interesting ending. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting but I liked it. I close the book and flip to look at the back cover before setting it down on the table. There were only a few chapters left but it kept me busy so I can't complain.

Finally, it's just after six. Time to go meet Kara. It should take about twenty minutes to get there so I should get going. I grab my keys and throw my jacket back on before exiting my apartment.

I focus on the other pedestrians walking down the street and the cars barely moving, due to rush hour traffic. I see a man in his early twenties, staring down at his phone; an elderly couple, the woman's hand laced through the man's elbow; a mother walking by with her daughter of about eight. I wonder what the relationship would be like between my mom and I if Kara had never come. It's hard to wonder what life would be like without Kara in general.

It's also hard to believe that Mom is really ok with Kara coming out as Supergirl. She can't be, right? She's trying to be gentle with Kara like she always is but every time that Kara doesn't do exactly what she wants or expects her do, somehow, I get blamed. Why do I get blamed for what Kara does? I can't stop her. She's freaking Supergirl! So, how could it be that after all the things that Kara has done that this doesn't bother her? Isn't this what she has been telling me Kara could absolutely not do because it would only lead her into danger? There is no way she's ok with this. She's furious but she can't let Kara know that because then she wouldn't be supporting Kara. She must always support Kara because who else will, according to her.

I look up and see I've arrived at the restaurant. Walking in the front door, I look around and see Kara at the bar and it looks like James walking away with another woman, I'm guessing the old girlfriend by the way they're walking. Doesn't matter. I walk quickly over to Kara to explain my theory.

"Hey. Okay. I figured it out. Mom is furious that you've come out, but she's pretending that she isn't." I say, flustered. Kara signs the check for the food order.

"Thank you." Kara says to person behind the bar. "Have you considered that Eliza really isn't mad?" Kara asks which I only respond with a look that says 'You're kidding, right?' "It's not like we're still kids that she has to worry about." Kara says.

"She has always come down hard on me for not protecting you." I say, trying to get her to understand.

"Then maybe it's time for you to come out. Tell her who you really are. What you really do." Kara says.

"Okay wait. You want me to tell her that I'm a DEO agent?" I ask to which Kara shrugs, not seeing the issue. "No way. I can't. Officially, we don't exist." I say, surprised that she'd even suggest it.

"Look, if she is mad at you 'cause she thinks that you're not looking after me, then tell her the truth. That your entire career, everything you've ever done in your life, it's all been to protect me. You've got to give her a chance." Kara says.

I think about it for a couple seconds before responding, "Protecting you isn't my actual job."

"Yeah, but you have more fun when it is." Kara says, as we walk out of the restaurant.

Kara and I step outside the restaurant and some loud crashes ring out overhead. Some people are paused looking up while others start running away. We look up to see a helicopter spinning, looking to have lost control. Kara and I exchange glances.

"Kara." I say.

"Clear the sidewalk." Kara says, handing me the food order before running down around the corner.

"Everybody off the street! Clear the sidewalk. Get inside." I instruct, to snap the watchers out of their trance.

Everyone starts running around while I look up and watch Supergirl flying toward the helicopter. A man falls out of the copter and Supergirl flies down to catch him while the helicopter starts to spin more out of control, flying toward one of the nearby skyscrapers. I see Supergirl place the falling man down across the street before flying back up to catch the copter just before it collides with the skyscraper. It looks like the copter is saved when suddenly a bolt of lightning strikes Supergirl.

"Supergirl!" I cry out.

After a couple seconds, the lightning stops and Supergirl seems alright. She flies the helicopter out of view, I'm guessing over to Catco. I pull my phone out to check on Kara.

Is everything ok? – I text Kara.

I know it'll probably be a while before she texts back, but I don't want to interrupt any wrap-up she needs to take care of. I walk to Kara's apartment, food in tow. I take the elevator up and give a quiet knock on the door. Footsteps come closer and the door opens.

"Hey, Alex. Where's your sister?" Mom asks.

"Oh, she, uh-" I start.

"Here I am." Kara says, flying in through the window.

"Hey, sweetie. Where were you?" Mom asks.

"So, there was this helicopter that was being affected by the bad weather and I had to save it from crashing. I saved the man flying the copter and then went to go save the woman inside but I got struck by lightning." Kara says, starting her tale. I look at her incredulous. Why would she tell her that? She could've left that out. Damn it, Kara. "It was crazy. I had never been electrocuted before. It was oddly, invigorating. Anyway, I was holding onto the woman and she got electrocuted, too. So now she's in a coma. I had to drop off the helicopter and I flew the woman to the hospital. So, yeah, that's where I was."

"Wow, that sounds like quite the tale." Mom says.

"Yeah." I say simply, eyeing Mom.

"Well let's eat, girls." Mom says.

I set the bag on the dining room table and start pulling out packages of food, placing them on the table. Two orders of potstickers, of course, one order of vegetable lo mein, fried rice, sweet and sour chicken and General Tso chicken.

"And I've got green tea matcha balls in the freezer for dessert." Kara says.

"It looks wonderful. I'll get some plates." Mom says.

We all take seats around the dining room table and Mom bring over the plates.

"So, how was the lab today, Alex? Anything exciting that you're working on right now?" Mom asks, grabbing the container of fried rice and starts to fill her plate.

"Uh, yeah. We are growing some artificial lungs right now so I ran some tests on those and then did some general maintenance of a few pieces of equipment. A good day." I say, grabbing the lo mein and plating some of its contents.

"Oh, that is pretty exciting. How far along are they?" Mom asks.

"They are still in the early stages. Only a couple weeks into the process. But I get to oversee the majority of their progress so that is an honor in its own right. If they do well, we might start animal trials." I say, feeling slightly bad for the well fabricated lie I was telling her.

"That's wonderful. I hope you'll keep me updated." Mom says. Well that makes me feel bad for lying.

Kara grabbed one of the containers of potstickers and put it next to her plate, which we all knew would happen, before grabbing the sweet & sour chicken and plating some.

"Kara, so I know you're excited about the Supergirl side of your life but are there no other details about Catco to share. Have you made any progress with Ms. Grant? Does she at least say your name correctly now?" Mom asks, smiling a little.

Kara frowns and looks down at her food before quietly answering, "No."

"Okay. I won't press any more. I'm sure you'll get a chance to prove yourself and she'll see what a crucial part of her team you are. Are you dating at all?" Mom asks.

Kara chokes a little on the potsticker in her mouth.

"Uh, no, not really. I went on a date a few weeks ago but then the plane that Alex was on was crashing so I went to save her and then everything kind of went crazy. I haven't really thought about dating since then. The guy from that date was a total jerk anyway so it was no real loss." Kara says, kind of babbling before shoving another potsticker in her mouth.

"Well, that's a shame. Try to make sure you make time for yourself with everything going on." Mom says.

We all finish plating food and start eating.

"So what's been going on with you, Mom? How's your research going? You were doing a study on the effects of something on the brain, right?" I ask, trying to steer the conversation from us.

The conversation continues as Mom goes into the details of the study she's working on and the intricacies. Kara is enjoying her food, looking like everything is going over her head or that she is just straight up bored. I enjoy when Mom gets like this though. It shows that she really enjoys what she does which is something I can be happy about for her. I ask questions when I need clarification and Kara asks a couple basic questions, mostly to be included I think.

The rest of the night is fairly uneventful and I can find myself starting to relax a little so in turn I start to feel a sleepiness overcoming me. When the conversation seems to be shifting to a good ending point I interject.

"I think I'm going go home." I say.

"Of course. You look tired. Get some rest." Mom says, stepping forward to give a short hug.

"Thanks, Mom. I'll be back at 9 to help you with the meal prep." I say.

"Thanks, Alex. Have a good night." Mom says.

"Good night, Alex." Kara says, smiling.

I open the door and exit Kara's apartment before setting out for the short walk home and upon walking into my apartment, I discard my jacket and keys near the front door before beelining straight to my bed. I kick off my shoes and slip off my jeans before crawling into bed.

My eyes flicker open to see the clock reading 6:37. Feeling rested, I get out of bed and stretch before going about my morning routine. At 8:30 I head over to Kara's place and arrive just as Kara is leaving.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"I have to go with Ms. Grant to check on Leslie at the hospital. I'll get off on time." Kara says, walking toward the elevator.

"Kara, it's Thanksgiving." I say.

"I know but news doesn't sleep." Kara says before entering the elevator.

The anxiety returns.

"Alright. You can do this." I say before knocking on the door.

"Come in." I hear from inside.

I open the door and step into the apartment.

"Alex, good morning. Did you sleep well?" Mom says.

"Yeah. Best sleep I've had for a few weeks." I say.

"I'm glad to hear it. If you want to relax for now, I don't need help just yet." Mom says, doing some prep on the kitchen island.

"Ok." I say, before walking over to the couch and turning on the TV.

I flip through the channels until I see the Syfy channel doing the customary James Bond marathon. It's currently on the last twenty minutes of Goldfinger with Sean Connery. I watch the ending before I switch over to the news channel, the announcer covers a couple stories before the story of Supergirl saving the helicopter last night and the status of Leslie Willis. I smile at the praise the announcer gives to Supergirl.

"Turn it off." Mom says from in the kitchen.

"I'm watching it." I say, unsure what caused the change in attitude.

"Off." Mom says, sternly.

"I knew it. You are mad. Well, go ahead and say it." I say, now understanding that I was right the whole time.

"I don't understand how you could allow this. Let your sister put on that cape." Mom says.

"She has done amazing things." I say, standing from the couch and walking toward her.

"I know that and I am very proud of her, but she's also put herself in danger." Mom says.

"She's an adult. She's going to do things that you don't like. That is not my fault." I say.

"She's been here 12 years, and still thinks deep down everyone is as good as she is. You know better. You should have stopped her. I…" Mom says before sighing and continuing. "I thought I could count on you to watch out for her."

"I do know better about people. I wish I didn't. You know… No, I… I just remembered I have something to do at work." I say.

Steering the conversation so that I can still show up tonight, I grab my jacket and leave the apartment.

God, I wish I could go into work right now. I need to take my mind off this. I knew it. I wish I could've been wrong. Why couldn't Kara have been right? I don't even understand why she acts like this.

I make it to my apartment and open the door. Heading straight for the closet, I change into some sweatpants and a tank top before pulling on my tennis shoes. I pull just my apartment key off my key chain and walk over to my bedside table. I pull out a simple gold chain and slip the key on before also grabbing a hair tie out and pulling my hair back into a ponytail before also grabbing my headphones and setting up my phone with a playlist of some heavier rock.

I exit my apartment and lock the door before hooking the chain around my neck.

There is a park about 2 miles away, so that's where I'm headed. After I reach the park, there are these bar stations where you can do a variety of moves. The park has a track that is a mile around and has four of the bar stations on the way. When I get tired of the music, I play an audio book, Ender's Game.

I've lost track of the number of times I've gone around the track of the park and how many hanging crunches, pullups, and pushups I've done. But somehow the sun starts to set, and when I realize it I start jogging home.

Once I make it home I walk into the kitchen and pour a couple fingers of scotch before walking toward the bathroom. I take a sip and kick off my shoes. Another sip and I strip off my clothes. I finish the glass and get in the shower.

Getting dressed, I grab my phone, keys and my jacket before exiting my apartment. I look down at my watch. 5:27. 14 hours and 33 minutes. I walk to Kara's apartment.

I take a breath and knock on the door. The door opens and Kara gestures me in.

"Alex. Hi. I figured you'd be here before I got home I was surprised. Mom said you had a work thing. Everything good now?" Kara says.

"Yeah. Everything's fine." I say.

"You remember my best friend, Winn, right?" Kara asks.

"Yeah. Hi, Winn." I say.

"Hi, Alex." Winn says.

I walk over to the table, seeing that everyone has a wine glass and seeing a couple white wine bottles in the middle of the table.

"We're just finishing up. I'm waiting on the turkey and the croissants. About 10 minutes." Mom says from the kitchen.

I walk to the kitchen and dig through a drawer to find the wine bottle opener.

"Everyone want wine? I'll pour it." I ask and answer before anyone responds.

I pour everyone some wine and a healthy glass for myself before taking a seat at the table.

"Alright, the croissants are done. I'll just move them into a basket." Mom says, transferring the warm croissants into a small wicker basket. "Kara, your oven's not the best. You mind giving it a quick five seconds or so?"

Mom sets the turkey on the table and Kara pulls her glasses down slightly before giving a heat vision glare at the turkey.

"She comes in handy." Winn says.

"I have to admit, the first time she did it I was a little worried. What if we were all eating radioactive turkey?" Mom says and everyone but me gives a polite laugh.

"It's no worse than the microwave. We'll all live." I say, the drinks finally catching up.

"You're having a lot of fun, Alex. Let's get some food in you." Mom says, as I finish my glass of wine.

"Yeah. Everything looks great. Oh, especially the pie." Winn says, I pour myself some more wine.

"Oh, yes. That is the best pie in the galaxy. Or so I'm told." I say, my tone dripping with disdain.

"So, before we eat, I thought it would be nice if we went around and shared what we were grateful for, or any other feelings that we might want to share with family and friends, so let's share." Kara says.

An awkward silence hangs in the air.

"Okay, I'll go first, um… I'm grateful for everyone here. My best friend in the entire world, my sister who's always had my back, and the woman who always treated me like a daughter." Kara says.

"Thank you, sweetie." Mom says.

"Alex, do you want to go next?" Kara asks, looking at me.

"Nope." I say, quickly and unamused.

"Winn, why don't you go?" Kara asks, giving a slight glare in my direction.

"Yeah. Well, that's easy." Winn says.

Kara's phone rings, stopping Winn.

"Oh, sorry guys, I'll turn it off. Oh, it's James. Um sorry, sorry. I'll make it quick." Kara says, walking to her room.

"Thanksgiving call? That's nice. That's really very thoughtful. So, uh, Eliza, you are a scientist? That's cool." Winn says, trying to fill the air. You brought up a great topic, Winn. So great at being the buffer.

"A scientist is a general term, dear. I am a bio-engineer. Alex is in the same field." Mom says. I'm thinking to myself she doesn't know how wrong she is. "You know, I guess being a lab rat, it runs in the family. I -"

"There's something I have to tell you." I interrupt. Well hear goes Kara. For you.

"Okay. Is everything all right?" Mom asks.

"When I was at Stanford, I was doing research in genetic engineering. And my work and connection to Kara, it came under scrutiny. And I was recruited by the government. I'm not just a doctor." I take a quick breath. "I'm an operative for an organization called the DEO. We monitor alien life here on Earth. I work in the field with Kara. I mean, that is my job, Mom, I look out for her." I explain, Kara walks in at the end of this explanation.

"I would be happy to carve this, Eliza." Winn says, trying to deflect.

"Are you out of your mind?" Mom says, standing.

"Oh, here we go." I say, raising my hands up in exasperation.

"Who wants green beans? Uh…" Winn tries again.

"How could you do this, Alexandra?" Mom asks.

"She called her 'Alexandra'. This is gonna get ugly." Kara says, mostly to Winn, I stand up.

"How could I do what? Devote my entire life to watching over Kara? Well, I don't know, maybe it's because it's what you've told me to do since I was 14 years old." I say, getting aggravated.

"You lied to me for years." Mom says.

"Is that what you got from all of that? So, Kara risks her life to protect other people, and she is a hero. And yet, I do the same, and I'm in trouble? That… is perfect." I say, incredulous.

"You think your father would be proud of this?" Mom asks.

"I will never win with you." I say, simply, furious that she'd bring Dad into this.

I grab my jacket from the coat rack and throw open the front door before slamming it behind me. Storming down the stairs, opting out of the elevator to avoid being around other people and exerting some more energy. I find myself wandering off to the park once again and adopting a casual pace once I reach the track. As I walk around the track, I just wonder what can be done to mend the issues surfacing between my mother and myself. I am coming up with no resolutions, but that is probably because I'm still fairly heated about the situation. The park lights flicker before extinguishing completely. Strange. I look around to see a lot of other buildings losing their lights as well. I wonder what's going on.

As the lights continue to disappear, I can't help but worry about Mom. I start walking back to Kara's apartment. I make it back way quicker than I wanted. Wondering momentarily to myself if I should be here, I pull the key for Kara's apartment out and unlock the door before opening it. Mom is in the living room, lighting some candles.

"Uh, there are blackouts all over the city, so I just wanted to make sure that you were okay." I say.

"A blackout I can handle… you, on the other hand…" Mom says, bluntly.

"Mom. Please. I can't fight anymore tonight." I say, emotionally exhausted.

"Please come… come here. Sit for just a minute." Mom says, gesturing on the couch.

I place my purse on the counter before walking over to sit on couch, hesitantly, next to her.

"I'm so sorry for what I said about your dad. It isn't fair. You always make the hard choice. You look to help others before yourself." Mom says. I didn't expect her to apologize. This is interesting.

"That's what you taught me to do. So why hasn't it ever been enough?" I ask, cracking near the end.

"If you're… If you mean why I was tougher on you…" Mom starts. I simply give a look to imply that's exactly what I mean. She continues. "Kara was a little girl from another planet. She lost everything. I didn't know how to do anything but accept her. You, you're my daughter, Alex. I wanted you to be better than me. But that never meant I didn't love you. You have always been my Supergirl."

She leans forward wrapping her arms around me and I wrap my arms around her as well.

"I'm sorry, too. For keeping things from you." I say, still in the hug before pulling back.

"There is something I need to tell you. I need to tell both of you." Mom says.

My phone buzzes loudly in my pocket. I look apologetically at her before pulling it out and answering.

"Danvers." I say.

"We need you at the DEO. To help stop this Livewire." Hank says.

"Forty-five minutes." I say before hanging up the phone. I turn to my mom. "Uh, I have to go in. Uh…"

"Is it about Kara?" Mom asks.

"I can't talk about it. I'm sorry." I say, hesitantly.

"Take care of your sister. Take care of yourself." Mom says.

"I will." I say before heading to the door, grabbing my purse on the way out.

I head back to my apartment to go down to the garage and head straight to the DEO. At this time a night there isn't as much traffic. I pull into a spot and making a quick stop in the locker room to change into a set of clothes I keep here as backup. Walking out into the control center, I see Hank standing at the table.

"Alright, what's the case? Kara hasn't had a chance to keep me in the loop." I say.

"Here's the file. Read quick. We need a solution." Hank says, sliding over a tablet with information related to the case.

I take a couple minutes and read through the points of the report.

"Is this serious? She's like pure energy. And with all the energy she's collected through the city, that means…" I say.

"Yes. Now how do we stop pure energy?" Hank asks.

"Don't we have an energy catcher? A… a… a capacitor?" I ask.

"Yes. We do." Hank says, walking off to the equipment area.

I continue to scan through the notes. Kara flies in and lands at the table.

"Where's Hank?" Kara asks.

"He's getting something that might help you stop Livewire. Why didn't tell me what she's been doing? She's incredibly dangerous." I ask.

"We haven't really had time between attacks and Danvers Thanksgiving disasters." Kara says, bluntly.

I glare at her before Hank walks up and places a small device on the table.

"Lightning in a bottle." Hank says.

"Or, technically, lightning in a portable industrial capacitor." I say.

"Get it underneath her, spring it open and close it. The electricity running through will be drawn inside. She'll be temporarily broken down on the atomic level, at least until we can get her into permanent containment." Hank says.

"Cool, it's like Ghostbusters." Kara says, smiling goofily. She clears her throat before adding, "Sounds like a plan."

"You gonna tell us where you're going?" Hank asks.

"This is between me, Ms. Grant and Livewire." Kara says.

"Based on the amount of power she's consumed, there is a very real chance that she's gonna be strong enough…" I say.

"She can hurt me. I know." Kara says.

"Kara. She can kill you." I say, pointedly.

"I'll see you soon." Kara says.

Kara grabs the device and flies out of the base.

"Alright Agent Danvers. Go home. I know your mom is still in town. Go spend time with her while you can. I'll see you tomorrow." Hank says.

Damn it. Really? I've been here for like 15 minutes…

"Yes, sir." I say, shortly before walking off to the locker room to change again before leaving.

I drive straight to Kara's apartment. My phone buzzes as I enter the building.

Livewire is stopped. The device didn't work but I found another way. ;) – Kara's text reads.

I exhale a sigh of relief and ascend the stairs before entering Kara's apartment.

"Hey, Mom." I say, smiling gently.

"Alex, you're ok." She says, walking over and taking me in a hug.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I say, returning the hug.

"What about Kara?" Mom asks, pulling back.

"She's ok. And she stopped Livewire." I say.

Kara lands in the apartment through the window.

"Thank goodness. You're both alright." Mom walks over and hugs Kara.

"Yep. All good." Kara says.

"I'm going to get out of here. I'll see you both in the morning to send you off." I say, walking back towards the door.

The exhaustion was starting to set in on my body from the rigorous physical activity I'd performed earlier.

"Alright, see you in the morning, Alex. 10, please. I've got to go into the office early and check on Ms. Grant and everything." Kara says.

I give a thumbs-up as I exit and close the door. Mounting my bike, I make the short drive back to my place before walking up and collapsing into my bed much like the night before. Although I'm exhausted, I feel a huge weight lifted from my shoulders at the resolution between Mom and I. Closing my eyes, I drift into sleep quickly.

My eyes flutter open and I look over at the clock to see it read 7:14. I go about my morning routine before heading over to Kara's apartment. It's a little early but hopefully Mom and I can start doing a little mending on our relationship.

I knock on the door.

"Come in." I hear from inside so I open the door.

"Hey. I know I'm a little early but I figured you wouldn't mind." I say.

"Of course not." Mom says.

We fall into some easy conversation about her research again. The topic of my job does not come up, since she knows I can't talk about it. But the conversation between us feels far more natural than when I was trying to actively avoid talking about myself.

Soon enough, Kara lands in her apartment for the farewells. Kara walks over to us and we stand from our seats at the dining room table. Suddenly, Mom steps forward and wraps us both up in a tight hug. We are trapped in this hug for a couple before Kara speaks.

"Even I am finding this grip impressive." Kara says, in the midst of the hug.

We all pull back from the hug.

"I am so proud of you." Mom says to me.

"Thank you." I say.

"Oh, guys, this is so nice." Kara says.

"I'm proud of you, too, Supergirl, but from what I see on the news, there is room for improvement." Mom says.

"Wow! That was not an unqualified compliment, which... is progress for us, but not fun for me." Kara says.

"Well, this is the best day of my life." I say, smirking.

"I haven't been fair. I have put a lot on both of you. But there is something I need to tell you. Something I promised your father I wouldn't, but if you're gonna be working for the DEO you need to know. Your dad wasn't just a doctor either and he did not die in a plane crash. That is what they told me, but I don't trust them." Mom explains. This is coming out of nowhere.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" I ask.

"I've known about the DEO for a long time. I know what they do. Jeremiah died working for the DEO. He died working for a man named Hank Henshaw." Mom says, pausing. Kara and I exchange a glance before looking back at Mom. "You both needed to know. I'm going to get going though. Stay safe."

"We will." Kara and I answer together.

Mom grabs her bags and exits the apartment.

"I'm going to go check and see how Livewire's being handled at the DEO." Kara says.

"Want to give me a lift?" I ask, smirking.

"Sure." Kara says, quickly changing before picking me up and flying out the window.

We land in the DEO and Kara places me on the ground. I see Vasquez at the main computer.

"Agent Vasquez. Do you know where Livewire is?" I ask.

"They just wheeled her down that hall to go put her in a cell, ma'am." Vasquez says, pointing down the hall directly behind Kara and myself.

Kara and I walk down the hall and see Hank escorting the transfer of Livewire to the cells. Hank turns around and sees us.

"Good job with Livewire, Supergirl. The DEO has its first non-alien prisoner. And now the holidays are over and you've had your fun, perhaps you can get back to your actual job. Catching aliens." Hank says.

"Yes, sir." Kara says.

"That's it? No comeback?" Hank says.

"No, sir, just ready to work." Kara says.

"Alright." Hank says, walking away.

"We have to find out what happened to my dad." I say, quietly.

"Absolutely." Kara says.

A/N: Sorry for the slight troll near the beginning. Like I'd kill Alex and I did put it in Italics so hopefully you guys caught that. 😉 If anyone is curious to know, falling dreams are typically linked to feeling a loss of control which I though suited Alex in the situation with her mom. And that's why I put that in.

The Martian book I mentioned I haven't read, I've just gone based off the summary that is posted with the book.

I also realized that timeline for the past was off and didn't make too much sense when going over all the flashbacks in the show. So, I'm going to redo those parts of the previous chapters so that it makes more sense.


End file.
